The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-05-01
The Railroad Tax.

Citizens of Vermont who have fol-
lowed the work Of the State board of
appraisal during recent weeks, now
that 1t has been completed, will be in
a position to accurately estimate the
measure of its value to the State and
whether or not Governor Fletcher
was justified in appealing from the
appraisal made by j. +. Cushman
while State tax commissioner. They
are afforded opportunity also to con-
slider whether an executive who pos
sesses the business keenness to dis
cover that some corporations are not
bearing their just share of the burdens
| of taxation, and the courage to insist
that they be compelled to do so, is
or Is not fulfilling his duty toward the
people with greater fidelity, honesty
/ and ability than one who is content
to let conditions, known to be unjust
because imposing unequal burdens, to
continue unremedied.
Governor Fletcher convinced early
| in his administration, that under the
system OF taxing railroad corpora
lions on their gross earnings the
State was not receiving that amount
of revenue to which it was entitled,
suggested to the Legislature o
change by which they should be tax
ed on the basis of the value of their
property within the State. The leg
islature approved that suggestion and
enacted 1t into law. How wise. time
ly and fair it was the people of Yer
mont may now judge for themselves
as the results are embodied in the
award of the State board of appraisal
which finished its labors on Friday
last.
The total valuation of steam and
electric railway, steamboat and cleo
trio power properties within the
State for the purposes of taxation, Is
fixed by the board at $44 49,, 225. The
valuation of these same properties
by Commissioner Cushman was $685.
SOC, 445, which was less by $4.7S1, 7S0
than that of the board. The previous
appraisal made in 1910 fixed the
value of these properties at $33,S52,-
$50, so that the increase made by the
board over that appraisal amounts to
-10,534,975.
The amount of revenue the State
will receive under the boards APP
praisal will be about $235,000 in ex-
cess of that received under the 1910
appraisal and approximately 100000
more than 1t could have collected had
appeal not been taken from the ap
praisal made by Commissioner Cush-
man.
Additional revenue, while an essen
tial, is by no means the all-contro-
ling consideration. Justice and equi-
ty must be the guide in determining
such questions as those with which
the board of appeals has had to deal.
That they have been the guide no
citizen who examines the work of the
board and its findings without bias
or prejudice will attempt to question.
Notwithstanding the somewhat heat
ed and hysterial criticism to which
the administration and the board
were subjected by few newspapers
when findings in the first three cases
decided were announced, it is safe
| to venture the statement that even
handed justice has been as nearly
reached in this reappraisal as 1t is
possible for a board of able, disln
terested and honest men to reach It.
Those who cried out that the pur
pose of the State administration was
TO rob" the corporations by means OF
this revelation and thus drive private
capital out of them, must. in the light
of the completed findings. realize how
utterly unfounded were their charges
and how unjustified were their as
saults on the sincerity and sense OF
fairness of the executive. They
should also be willing to confess the
fact that the valuation OF the proper
ties Of IL of the railroads operating
in Vermont were substantially reduc
ed by the board from that fixed by
Tax Commissioner Cushman reveals
no startling and sinister design "to
drive the railroads out Of business tc
the financial embarrassment OF the
commonwealth for generations. -
Montpelier Journal.