The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-05-13
Governor Fletcher's Offences.

(Ludlow Tribune.)
The St. Adams Messenger, comment |
ing on an editorial paragraph III the |
Brattleboro RefOrmer with reference /
to the administration of Governor Al |
len NJ. Fletcher, INDUCES in a sum
mary of his offences; but it has gen
erously omitted those of greatest
enormity in its eyes, as the mouth
piece of the Central Vermont railway.
Let US see what some of these offences
We're, committed by the governor in
question:
Governor Fletcher's chief offence
was pushing through the legislature
acts forcing the railroads to bear a
fairer share of the burden of taxation
| This was done by stopping the use as
basis of taxation of the gross in
come, which could be shifted to roads
outside the state controlling those in
| the state. The taxpayers of Vermont
now receive from this source $4,000
more revenue in every biennial period
than before. The taxes of the express
and telephone companies were also in
creased by $4,000, and the American
Express company was compelled to
| pay its taxes, although it induced the
last Legislature to make slight re
duction in the tax.
! announcer 0Htute OF Governor L letGl-
| er, in the eyes of those whom the Mes
| senger represents, was his insistence
! that railroad lobbyists should cease
| trying with greater or less success to
| dominate legislation, especially through
| the senate.
Another offence was Governor
! FIetcher's service in promoting legis-
/ lation regarding demurrage in freight,
| for the benefit of the shipping public
| Another offence of Governor Fetch
| er was his deter ninatiOn that the of
| flee of attorney general should cease
/ to be used as a buffer between the
railroads and other public service cor
| porations and the public; and that
| the abuse of the detective fund should
stop. His course has been indicated
! by the reduction of detective expenses
| from $4,000 biennially to $4,000;
and that the state has not suffered
! from this reduction is shown in the
large per cent of convictions III Grim
inal eases secured by Attorney general
Barber.
Another offence of Governor Fletch-
err was his response to complaints as
to telephone conditions in Vermont.
! The prompt elimination of the charge
for calls not answered by the party
sought has more than compensated pa
/ irons for the expense Of the investiga-
| ton. Governor Fletcher's action
also stopped promiscuous watering''
of telephone stock for the promotion
of monopoly, and resulted in an order
for the reduction of certain excessive
rates. That this matter has not been
/ pushed to full realization for patrons
is not the fault of Governor Fletcher,
nor is he responsible for the fact that
4 the order for such reduction has all
this time been held up Indefinitely in
/ the courts.
Another offence of Governor Fetch
er was pushing legislation for state
purchasing agent, with the result of
saving taxpayers thousands of dollars
i as compared with the old system of
purchasing by favor from privileged
parties.
Another offence of Governor Fletch-
er was his interference with existing
conditions by demanding better school
facilities for the youth of Vermont.
Another offence of Governor Fetch
!, err was his determination that acts of
&, the Legislature to provide Vermont
with real public service commission
such as we now have should not be
invalidated or neutralized by reaction
| airy judges, and that the people of
, Vermont should have more speedy
Justice as well as more economic al
court expenditures.
+. Another offence of Governor Fetch
er was his pushing through the leg
r islature of the armory bill to provide
different localities having companies
of the National Guard with suitable
quarters.
t Another offence of Governor Fleteh-
er was his insistence that the court
itself was the best interpreter Of Yer.
mont s constitution.
E Governor Fletcher made mistakes,
as does every other man ii public pc,
! sition who does things; but nobody
can say that he was not fearless in
7 the performance of what he believed