Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-11

HOW WE MAY HELP DEVELOP vERMONT'S RESOURCES.
The government of the United States and the State
university and State Commissioner of Agriculture E. s. Brig
ham are Joining hands gratifying and helpful way for
the development Of Vemonts agricultural interests They
merely showing how though and the question for us to
decide is whether shall profit by the knowledge gained
Is worth while to provide the financial means FOR better
land development in Vermont
would naturally say "Of course it is worth WHILE
The chances however, that are of those who have
acting the principle that it is not worth while
of have been fortunate unfortunate enough to
loan money times and spite of losses in other
parts Of the country have for decades acting on
the supposon that money safer in the South West
than right here in Vermont We have not fully realized that
all the time in effect helping to undermine Vermont
credit through growing indifference to home interests
instead of trying to discover how might make Vermont
land better basis Of credit and thus aid in the upbudng of
all the interests Of commonwealth Here is the indct
ment:
l. We have helped to make it difficult to purchase Yer
mont farms.
g. We have thus helped to reduce the prices of Yer
farms far below the valuation of similar soil in adon
ing States,
We have helped to discourage the development of Yer
mont land.
D. We have led Vermont farmers to strive to how
much they could get out Of their farms hard terms rather
than discover how much money they could proably put
into their farms.
led them through precept and example to be-
eve to be good business to begin to loan elsewhere
the their farms paid the theory there
future for Vermont farms.
g. We have thus helped to force deterioration Of Yer
mont farms and make them less desirable security for
loans than they should be,
T. Through this endless chain Of adverse influences
have helped to drive ambitious and energetic young men and
from farms and forced away from Vermont
of our best and most needed young blood
Taking up the last subjects first the farmer who is
scratching the surface of good farm Of 200
and getting surplus of only several hundred dollars
which he promptly loans outside of the State directly
indirectly is damage to the community regards soil de-
VeOpment, others
and especially young farmers
No farmer loan money good business principles
until he has brought his farm to the highest possible
point of cultivation and when he has done that he will have
much money coming in annually that he help be-
gnners do what he has done by loans well by example,
Right here the recipe for hare pie n Frst catch
your hare How is the young farmer who wants to buy
farm in Vermont to the capital?
Acting the theory that improved farm credit would
help develop Vermont SOIL and thus bring direct indirect
gain to all classes in Vermont and realizing that the debtor
landholder the only class bearing double taxation, the
personality taxpayer having offset the Legislature started
out exempt from taxation all loans land at five cent
simply that and nothing
There promptly became conspicuous this everlasting and
and eness of attitude that to help the double
taxpayer was an injustice to personal taxpayers although
they already had offset and that the bank would be hit
although all loans to be exempt, and
AS result of the confusion Of ideas growing out of the
struggle offsets abolished all loans five per cent
made exempt from taxation except those by banks,
which have the most to loan to Vermont farms and
the chief end aimed defeated the tendency being to
lead banks which Disseminated against to prefer to
loan money outside of the State at the higher
The simplest remedy for this whole situation is to make
all loans in Vermont at low rate of interest by banks
individuals exempt from taxation. there shall be abso-
lutte equality between the banking and the individual
oaner between the real estate and the prop
ety holder letting in State appropriations take
care of the question of State taxation.
In the of time the law of supply demand would
naturally lead to the betteen credits Vermont land
without the remeying of the situation illustrated If
provide for justice equality and at the
time make easier for the young well
established farmer credit and
apply the soils cultivation and development nowl-
edge disseminated through the State Unversys
agricultural work and the State Commissioner of
Agriculture there will be money circulation for the
benefit Of merchants we'll the banking institution and
Vermont will blossom the rose.
the election with intense interest as ben
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