Inaugural address of  John B. Page  As it appears in the  Journal  of the  House of Representatives  Annual Session,  1867  Friday, October 11, 1867 Inaugural Address Fellow citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives:  Grateful  to  the  freemen  of Vermont  for  the  expression  of  their  confidence  in  calling me  to  act  as  the Chief Magistrate of my native State, I accept the trust and assume the responsibilities of the office, with the assurance of faithful endeavors on my part, so  to discharge  its duties as  to promote  the best  interests and  the prosperity of the people. By  the  constitution,  it  devolves  upon  me  to  suggest  for  you  consideration  “such  business  as  may  appear necessary to lay before the General Assembly.”  It could not be expected that this communication would refer to all matters that may come before you during the session, and I shall confine myself to a brief reference to some of  the  more  important  interests  of  the  State,  as  gathered  from  the  reports  for  the  executive  officers,  with  such recommendations as seem to be required thereon, respectfully referring you to these reports for further details. FINANCES. The  condition  of  the  finances  should  receive  the  careful  attention  of  the General Assembly, with  a  view  to economy in all departments, to diminish the burdens of taxation, and to the equal apportionment of the expenses of government upon all the property of the State. From  the  Treasurer’s  report, with  the  final  report  of  the  former  Treasurer,  completing  the  fiscal  year,  I  am able to make the following statement: RECEIPTS. Balance form previous year, Balance sinking fund brought forward, Collections on taxes, Received form county clerks, Received from judges of probate, Received from temporary loan, Received from all other sources,     DISBURSEMENTS. Debentures of General Assembly: October session, 1866, March session, 1867, Extra pay and soldiers’ allotments, Organized militia, pay rolls,  Court orders, Auditor’s orders, State bonds of 1871, redemmed and canceled, Agricultural College fund, paid on Governor’s warrant, Safety fun, paid receiver Danby Bank, Interest on bonds and loans, Interest on taxes and discount of three per cent., Temporary loan paid, Balance to credit of sinking fund for payment of bonds due 1871, Balance in treasury Sept. 5th, 1867,  Total,                           $28,576 67 75,500 00 569,403 81 17,148 46 11,748 76 145,000 00 25,302 01 ------------------- $872,679 71 $43,154 13 7,816 40 6,123 47 4,477 00 47,307 03 195,399 57 168,500 00 8,142 10 6,750 00 100 898 79 12,297 74 145,000 00 82,000 00 44,813 48 ----------------- $872,679 71   FUNDED DEBT OF THE STATE. Bonds due June 1st, 1871, Bonds due Dec. 1st, 1874, Bonds due Dec. 1st, 1876, Bonds due Dec. 1st, 1878,    Total, Deduct balance credit sinking fund,    Total funded debt,  The funded debt being reduced in the past two years, Sundry balances in the treasury,   Interest on bonds and loans, Other current expenses, For sinking fund, installment on bonds,   Total,    LIABILITIES FOR THE CURRENT YEAR                 $707,000 00 250,000 00 250,000 00 250,000 00 ------------------ $1,457,000 00 82,000 00 ------------------ $1,375,000 00 $275,000 00 $20,000 00 90,000 00 250,000 00 150,000 00 ------------------ $510,000 00 RESOURCES. $50,027 67 Balance in treasury and due on taxes,  Received since close of fiscal year, on account of balance 58,530 31 due from the United States, 108,557 98 ---------------   -----------------      Balance, $401,442 02  It seems  to me sound policy  to continue  to apply yearly one hundred and fifty  thousand dollars as a sinking fund  to  retire  the  funded  debt.    Should  you  concur  in  this  view,  and  should  the  basis  of  the  foregoing  estimate prove correct it will be necessary to assess a tax upon the polls and ratable estate of the inhabitants of the State, that  will  realize  to  the  treasury  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.    It  will  be  noticed  that  this  sum  is  nearly  one hundred and seventy thousand dollars less than was raised by tax last annual session. REGISTERED LOANS. Coupon  State  bonds  belonging  to  the  Agricultural  College  fund,  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  thousand  and  five  hundred  dollars,  are  deposited  with  the  State  Treasurer.    These  bonds  are  negotiable, and, under the law, are to be held for years to come.  For greater security, I recommend that authority be granted to  cancel  these  bonds,  and  any  other  that  may  be  returned  to  the  treasury  for  that  purpose,  and  to  issue certificates  in  the  form  of  the  registered  loan  of  the  United  States,  inscribing  the  credit  on  the  books  in  the offices of the Treasurer and Secretary of State. COLLECTION OF TAXES. From  observation  and  experience  I  am  satisfied  that  our  system  of  collecting  taxes  can  be much  simplified and improved.  I recommend that the existing laws on that subject be so modified as to require the selectmen, or other proper officers, of each town or city, to include in the same rate-bill all taxes, whether state, county, town, or otherwise, duly  certified  to  them  as voted  and  assessed  in  any year,  and  that  such  rate-bill be  committed  for collection  to  the  first  constable,  or  collector  of  taxes,  in  each  town  or  city,  who  should  pay  the  amount,  when collected, to the respective treasurer of the state, county, city, town, district or village, according to the nature of the  taxes.    The  expenses  of  collecting might  thereby  be materially  diminished,  and  tax-payers  would  be  saved the annoyance of numerous calls from different collectors during the same year. ORGANIZED MILITIA. The  present  law  regulating  the  organized militia  is wholly  inadequate  to  provide  an  efficient  force  that  can be  relied  upon  in  case  of  need,  and  your  attention  is  directed  to  the  sensible  remarks  upon  this  subject  in  the report of the Adjutant and Inspector General.  Some portion of the public property in possession of the militia is reported  in  bad  condition,  and  without  more  vitality  in  our  militia  system,  it  would  seem  necessary  that  this property  should  be  collected  and  placed  in  safe  keeping  under  the  care  of  a  proper  officer.    The  signs  of  the times indicate that we, as prudent men, should not wholly lay aside our arms, but rather emulate the example of the old Bay State in 1861, and be prepared for any emergency. EDUCATION. Under  the  act  of  the  last  annual  session,  normal  schools  have  been  established  in  each  of  the  congressional districts.    They  cannot  but  prove  useful  in  providing  our  common  schools  a  better  educated  class  of  teachers, thus  raising  the general  standard of education  among  the people, which  is one of  the  first duties of  the State.    I commend this subject to your liberal consideration. BANK COMMISSIONER. The  duties  of  bank  commissioner  during  the  past  year  have  been  almost  nominal.    I  recommend  that  the office  be  abolished,  and  that  some  other  State  officer  be  authorized  to  perform  such  acts  as  may  hereafter  be required in this department. STATE PRISON Until within  a  few  years  our  State  Prison  has  been  self  sustaining,  but  owing  to  the  high  prices  of  clothing and  provisions,  with  no  corresponding  increase  of  income,  it  has  become  necessary  to  draw  upon  the  treasury considerable sums to meet the deficiency.  During the past year, ten thousand four hundred twenty-seven dollars and five cents have been required for this purpose.  Turning to the neighboring states I find that their prisons are a  source of  income, and  it behooves us  to  inquire what can be done  to place our prison on  a paying basis.   The enactment  of  a  law  has  been  suggested,  requiring  the  directors  to  advertise  for  proposals  for  new  contracts  at least six months before the expiration of existing contracts for the labor of the inmates.  It has been thought that this,  with  the  adoption  of  a  better  system  of  discipline,  would  bring  about  the  desired  results.    The superintendent  is  of  the  opinion,  in  which  I  concur,  that  additional  provision  should  be  made  for  the  female convicts.    At  present  it  is  almost  impossible  to  maintain  any  discipline  in  this  department  for  want  of  proper accommodations. REFORM SCHOOL. The establishment of a school for the reformation of juvenile offenders having become our policy, provision for its necessities the coming year should be made at this session. It  is my belief  that great good  is being done  in elevating our wayward youth, and preparing  them  for useful and  honorable  lives,  and  I  am  convinced  that  a  familiarity  with  the  operations  of  the  Vermont  Reform  School would  commend  it  to  your  sympathy  and  support.    For  information  on  the  subject,  you  are  referred  to  the interesting reports of the trustees and superintendent. RESOURCES OF THE STATE. The resources of the State, as developed in its agriculture, its manufactures, its quarries, and its mines, merit and  should  receive, your  careful  attention.   The  legislation on  these  subjects  should be  such  as  to  secure  to our people  the  greatest  advantages  from  these  sources,  by  inducing  the  influx  of  capital  for  extending  our manufactures, opening and working our quarries and mines, and increasing our railroad facilities. In most particulars, our laws compare favorably with those of other states in these respects.  In some of their provisions, however, I shall have occasion to indicate reforms which seem to me to be needed. Vermont is pre-eminently an agricultural State, having thirteen-twentieths of its four millions of acres under improvement,  and  we  have  cause  of  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all  things  for  the  abundant  harvests  that  have rewarded the labors of our husbandmen during the year. The  increased  value  of  the  real  and  personal  estate  in Vermont,  from  1850  to  1860,  as  given  in  the  census, was  little  over  thirty millions  of  dollars,  and  this  upon  a  gold  basis.   Of  this  sum  twenty-eight millions was  in the increased value of the real estate.  Had we statistics to the present time, they would show a still larger rate of increase.  This large advance can only be ascribed to the system of railroads, put in operation during that period, opening  to  producers  easy  communication  with  markets  before  inaccessible.    Take  up  our  iron  rails  and  you reduce  the value of our  farms  and quarries more  than  the entire  cost of  the  roads.   Those within  a  few miles of our  railroads  derive  the  most  benefit  from  them.  Therefore  the  opening  of  new  roads  to  accommodate  more remote sections would aid largely in developing the resources of the State. When we turn to our manufacturing and mechanical industries we find that, with superior facilities, in many respects we are far behind our sister states of New England.  At the taking of the last census we had only fifteen hundred  establishments,  using  an  aggregate  capital  of  nearly  ten  millions  and  employing  a  little  over  ten thousand  persons, with  sixteen millions  of  dollars  in  annual  products, while  our  neighbors  on  the  other  side  of the  Connecticut  river  show  results  three  times  as  great.    It  cannot  with  truth  be  claimed  that  they  hold  a more favorable  position,  or  have  superior  a  natural  advantages;  but  when  we  look  on  their  legislation,  we  find  that they  encourage  manufactures  by  the  exemption  of  new  establishment  from  taxation,  and  by  other  wise  laws throw about  them  the  fostering care of  the State.      In  this connection, permit me  to  repeat  the  recommendations of  former  executives  on  the  subject  of  attachment  of  property  on  mesne  process,  and  particularly  to  call  your attention  to  that  part  of  our  system  which  gives  priority  to  the  first  attaching  creditor.    If  we  would  keep  pace with our sister states in the development of our abundant resources, we must see that we are not behind them in providing  for a  just and equitable distribution among all creditors, of  the  assets of  any debtor, who by  the  risks attendant on new enterprises, or from any other cause, finds himself unable to meet his obligations. Capital  comes  to  us  less  freely,  and  credit  is  less  readily  accorded  in  other  states  to  our  citizens,  than  it would  be  if  the  capitalist  or  the  creditor were  sure  that  in  case  of  any  inability  to  pay  in  full,  he  could  rely  on sharing  alike  with  other  creditors  instead  of  seeing  his  property  applied  to  full  payment  of  another’s  debt,  and himself left with no part of his just due.  A reformation of our laws in this respect seems to be demanded.  Now “our  sons  seek  in  other  states  that  protection  and  fostering  care  over  their  industry  which  they  fail  to  find  at home,” and to this law on our statute book is largely to be attributed the fact that during the last decade our ratio of increase of population was less than that of any state of the Union. OUR COUNTRY. It  is  hardly  necessary  at  this  time  to  allude  to  the  part  taken  by  Vermont  in  the  late  rebellion.    We  have reason to be proud of her record.  Here we stand equal with any of our sister states. Let us not be deprived of  the fruits of our sacrifice of men and money by executive  interference, and by  the removal  from  official  position  of men  of  firm  and  consistent  loyalty  and  patriotism.    Let  us  see  that  the  cause which we gave the lives of our sons to establish is henceforth maintained, and that we receive the benefit of our sacrifices in the permanent establishment of  this Union on principles of  justice and equal rights; and to that end let us  “urge Congress  to  act bravely  and  thoroughly  in  the  adoption of whatever measures may be  requisite  for the establishment of peace and prosperity throughout the whole country.” It  is  no  time  now  to  take  a  step  backward,  but  “advance  the  whole  line,”  hold  the  positions  we  have  won, and  with  our  fathers  declare  and  maintain  that  “all  men  are  equally  free  and  independent,  and  have  certain natural, inherent and inalienable rights, among which are the enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” Finally,  let  us  remember  that  “it  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps,”  and  that  all  our  labors  are “nothing  worth”  without  the  direction  of  that  Infinite  Wisdom  whose  guidance  I  invoke  in  all  your deliberations. }  EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,      Montpelier, October 11, 1867     JOHN B. PAGE.