Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-16
Compliment Paid to Secretary OF
State Bailey by Passage
of Bill.
DRUG BILL PASSES SENATE
Senator Blanchard to Present
Resolution Urging Congress
to Submit New Income
Tax Amendment.

Montpelcr. Jan H-Although there is |
general opposition in the General rs
,cmLly to the raising Of official salaries,
;hc tIousc this afternoon passed the Dill
making the salary Of the secretary of
,tatc $500 The bill was amended to re-
,uirc him To devote his whole time to
,he duties Of his office, but those who
.now how much work is done in Mr..
Baney's Office ana how much time he
Ievotcs to its duties regard the amend
,ent as entirely superfluous.
There has been an attempt to create a
prejudice against the alleged water power
trust which found it's first real expression
this afternoon in regard to II. 43o, amend
Ing the charter of the RYeGatc Light &;
Power company This was opposed on
the ground that IT granted an undue and
unwarrantcd extension Of the right of
eminent domain. The measure was debated
at length during the morning session of
tho House and at the afternoon session
was defeated by a vote of l55 to Al.
More than 100 petitions in relation to
woman suffrage were presented in the
House this morning, and the committee
on internal affairs has been ordered to re-
port the bill in regard to municipal
suffrage for women tomorrow afternoon.
The bill permitting an extension Of
time for the commissioner Of state
taxes to send out his notices in regard
to the taxation of railroads was pass
ed by the House under suspension of
the rules Mr. Cushman is still pain
fully i'll though his condition is not
serious. It is understood that owinfg to
Mr. Cushmans illness Attorney-Gen-
eral r T.. Brown has been forced to
return to the capital TO attend to GER
tain of the legal phases of the tax
work.
SENATE PASSES DRUG BILL.
The Senate this afternoon passed
The bill relating to the sale of NOR
phine and other narcotic drugs. This
oill has strong support and is in line
Hith similar Legislation in many
other States 1t is satisfactory to the
national pharmaceutical association
and the proprietary association and is
supported by physicians and reform
FRS generally. The bill has been very
carefully drawn and is intended to
ccduce the sale of injurious drugs eX
ccpt by the direct order of a ply
stefan or for use in hospital.
Bills continue to be introduced in
both the House and Senate. and the
,ind disposition Of legislation is not
moro than keeping pace with the new
LEGISLATION proposed.
Til" bin amending the charter Of
the burlington Light K Power COM
pany ~. 2lN) was passed by the
House.
y larg" delegation from Windham
county was here this evening to at
tend the hearing on the bills relating
10 the building of railroad from
Wilmington to Brattleboro and in re-
!ation TO the overpass on Bridge
street at Brattleboro.
Though it has been held that the
Vermont LEGISLATURE took final action
In regard to the federal income tax
bin. by its adverse action two years
ago, Senator Blanchard of Windsor
county proposes to introduce this res
olutiOn tomorrow:
Whereas Congress has submitted to the
states a proposed amendment to the
constitution of the United States to en-
power Congress to levy a graduated tax
upon incomes for the purposes of the
federal government, and
Whereas, the General Assembly OF Yer
mont Of 1910 rejected the proposed amend
ment, now that the attitude of Vermont
may be fully understood,
ENDORSE GENERAL PROPOSITION
BE it resolved:
That we endorse and approve the gen.
sral proposition OF Il graduated tax upon
Incomes. We believe that such tax,
properly graduated, would be n long
step towards the solution OF the serious
problem Of the concentration of wealth
which now confronts this nation. We be-
leve that such a taX, justly levied and
properly applied, would in a large meas
ure alleviate class feeling and class jeal-
ousies.
We are in accord with tie idea that
The States separately are lmpotent to
evy and collect on income taN for tho
reason that investments Of persons Of
wealth are or can be so easily and widely
distributed throughout the different com
nonwcalths which constitute the nation.
We are firmly convinced however, that
is both unwise and unjust to levy and
collect an income tax and apply the name
% the purposes 81 me FEDERAL govern
ncnt, because:
60 The general functions OF government
are, under our political system, exercised
oy the States and not by the federal
;ovcrnm mt and therefore any direct tax
Ike n tax on incomes ought to be APP
died directly to governmental purposes
within the State.
90 The levy and collection of an in
come tax for the purposes Of the federal
government would tend to endanger cN-
travaEance on the part of Congress, would
tend to induce scctionalism I'm fixing the
rate of the tax and in the appropriation
or the proceeds thereof; would place the
expenditure Of the tax largely out of the
sight Of the common people and in that
way minimize the good effects upon class
feeling which such u tax ought to bring
about and would tend to induce Congress
TO embark upon the expenditure of the
funds in the federal treasury for local
or sectional development and so tend to
create political trading and political
jeaOusies.
PROCEEDS FOR THE STATE
We express our strong belief that
graduated income tax should be assessed
and collected by the federal government
and the proceeds thereof distributed to
the States in n Just and equitable dlvi-
sion and used by the States or such Gle