844 



VERMONT. 



have never been satisfied, although a convention 

 was signed on Dec. 5, 1885, the time for exchang- 

 ing ratifications being twice extended. In June, 

 1890, the United States Congress passed a joint 

 resolution, in pursuance of which President Har- 

 rison reopened the question. A commission was 

 appointed to revise the proceedings of a former 

 commission, which made awards in regard to 

 other claims under a convention arranged in 

 1866. This matter was settled by the labors of 

 the new commission, which were concluded on 

 Sept. 2, 1890. 



VERMONT, a New-England State, admitted 

 to the Union March 4, 1791 ; area, 9,565 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission was 154,465 in 1800 ; 

 217,895 in 1810 ; 235,966 in 1820 ; 280,652 in 1830 ; 

 291,948m 1840 ; 314.120 in 1850: 315,098 in 1860 ; 

 330,551 in 1870; 332,286 in 1880; and 332,422m 

 1890. Capital, Montpelier. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year : Governor, William P. 

 Dillingham, Republican, succeeded by Carroll S. 

 Page, Republican ; Lieutenant-Governor, Urban 

 A. Wood bury, succeeded by Henry A. Fletcher ; 

 Secretary of State, Charles W. Porter, succeeded 

 by Chauncey W. Brownell, Jr. ; Treasurer, Will- 

 iam H. Dubois, succeeded by Henry F. Field; 

 Auditor, E. Henry Powell ; Superintendent of 

 Education, Edwin F. Palmer ; Inspector of Fi- 

 nance, Savings Banks, and Trust Companies, 

 Luther 0. Greene ; Chief Judge of the Supreme 

 Court, Homer E. Royce ; Assistant Judges, Jona- 

 than Ross, H. Henry Powers, John W. Rowell, 

 Russell S. Taft, James M. Tyler, and Loveland 

 Munson. Judges Royce and Powers not being 

 candidates for're-election, the State Legislature 

 in November elected Henry R. Start and L. H. 

 Thompson to fill the vacancies, and advanced 

 Judge Ross to the office of Chief Judge. 



Population. The following table shows the 

 population of the State by counties, as deter- 

 mined by the national census of 1890, compared 

 with the population for 1880: 



* Decrease. 



Finances. For the twenty-three months end- 

 ing June 30, 1890, the report of the State Treas- 

 urer is as follows: Balance on July 31,1888, 

 $88,062.30; receipts for the period, $1,389,835.- 

 96; disbursements, $1.360,189.52; balance on 

 June 30, 1890, $117,708.74. Included in the re- 

 ceipts is the sum of $353,412.01 from State tax- 

 es, $513,461.61 from corporation taxes, $333,165 

 from temporary loans, and $31,299.90 from con- 

 vict labor. Among the payments were $333,- 



165 to retire temporary loans, $452,529.54 to 

 meet warrants of the Auditor for 1889, and 

 $440,832.89 to meet warrants for 1890. Only 

 twenty-three months are covered by the report, 

 on account of an act of 1888 making June 30, 

 instead of July 31, the end of the fiscal year. 

 .The corporation tax law of 1882 was adjudged 

 during the year by the State Supreme Court to 

 be unconstitutional, so far as it attempted to tax 

 transportation companies upon their interstate 

 earnings. The Legislature in November enatted 

 a new law basing the rate of taxation upon prop- 

 erty and franchises. Half of the State tax of 20 

 cents levied in 1889 was payable this year. The 

 funded debt of the State remains unchanged, 

 consisting of $135,500 of 6-per-cent. bonds held 

 by the State Agricultural College fund. There 

 are no county debts. 



Legislative Session. The regular biennial 

 session of the Legislature began on Oct. 1 and 

 ended on Nov. 25. On Oct. 14 Justin S. Morrill 

 was re-elected United States Senator for the fifth 

 consecutive term, receiving in the Senate 27 

 votes to 1 for Edward J. Phelps, the Democratic 

 candidate, and in the House 167 votes to 56 for 

 Mr. Phelps. Senator Morrill was the unanimous 

 choice of the Republican members. Members of 

 the Supreme Court were elected in joint conven- 

 tion on the closing day as follows : Chief Judge, 

 Jonathan Ross; Assistant Judges, Russell "S. 

 Taft, J. W. Rowell, J. M. Tyler, Loveland Mun- 

 son, H. R. Start, and L. II. Thompson. A new 

 school law, a new corporation tax law, and a 

 ballot-reform law were enacted at this session. 

 The school law abolishes the offices of county 

 supervisor and county board of education estab- 

 lished by the school law of 1888, and restores the 

 office of town superintendent, which existed 

 prior to that law. The provision of the law of 

 1888 reducing the school age to eighteen years 

 was repealed, and the age is now, as formerly, 

 from five to twenty years. The State Superin- 

 tendent and Governor are required to appoint an 

 examiner in each county, and these officials shall 

 hold examinations in the spring and autumn of 

 each year. No teacher can" teach without a cer- 

 tificate or permit, but this provision does not 

 apply to the principal teacher of the highest de- 

 partment of a graded school. The examiners 

 shall also hold teachers' institutes. The law does 

 not interfere with existing arrangements under 

 the town system. 



The corporation tax law provides for the ap- 

 pointment of a commissioner of State taxes, who 

 shall gather from the various corporations in- 

 formation necessary for the enforcement of the 

 law, and is given power of assessment in certain 

 eases. It further provides that railroad com- 

 panies shall pay a tax of seven tenths of 1 per 

 cent, on the appraised value of property and 

 franchise, or an alternative of 2^ per cent, on 

 their entire gross earnings at their option. 



Telephone companies are to be taxed at the 

 rate of 3 per cent., telegraph companies at the 

 rate of 10 per cent., and express companies 

 at the rate of 4 per cent, on the gross receipts 

 earned within the State. Steamboat, car, and 

 transportation companies are to pay at the rate 

 of seven tenths of 1 per cent, on their property, 

 business, and corporate franchises. As an al- 

 ternative, they may pay at the rate of 2 per cent. 







