140 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VRRMONT. 



Part II. 



ZXPENDITUHES. 



STATE DEBT. 



SALARIES-. 



Debenture of electors of Presi- 

 dent, &c., 120 00 



Canvassers of votes for Presi- 

 dent, «fcc. 



Sundry salaries, 



Supreme court orders. 



Auditor's orders. 



Commissioners of deaf and 

 dumb, 



Commissioners of blind. 



Trustees of insane hospital, 



Superintendent of state prison, 



For expense of military drills, 



Appropriations b}' legislature. 



Interest on surplus money to 

 towns, 



Interest on loans to the state. 



Cocoon and silk premiums, 



Fox certificates, 



Bear " 



Wolf " 



Crow " 



For transportincr weights, &c. 



For purchase of set of dry 

 measures, 



Balance in the treasury, 



$64,922 87 

 By the foregoing account it appears 

 that about four fifths of the revenue re- 

 ceived was from taxes raised on the grand 

 list. 



Slate debt. — If Vermont has been be- 

 hind the neighboring states in great works 

 of internal iin])rovement, she has, in con- 

 Bequence, avoided the burden of an op- 

 pressive public debt. For the erection of 

 her new state house, which is designed, 

 not only for the present but for many fu- 

 ture generations, she has judged it equita- 

 ble that a portion of the expense should 

 fall upon the future occupants, and not 

 all be borne by the people during the short 

 period in which it was built. She has 

 therefore created a small public debt, 

 wh'cii may, however, at any time be can- 

 celled in the course of a few years by so 

 slight an augmentation of the ordinarj' 

 taxes as to be scarcely felt by the people. 

 From the report of the auditor of the 

 treasury, it appears that the indebtedness 

 of the state on the 30th of September, 

 1841, was as follows : 



To school fund loaned the state, princi- 

 pal and interest, ^119,637 19 



To school fund loaned to in- 

 dividuals, 44,655 09 



To bank safety fund, princi- 

 pal and interest, 22,320 73 



To towns for surplus money 



and interest, 14,963 21 



To bank for loans, principal 



and interest, 5,896 66 



To individuals for loans, 



principal and interest. 

 Orders outstanding, probably 

 Debentures for '41, probably 

 Salaries due and unpaid, 



To be deducted from this, 

 there was at that time in 

 the hands of state's attor- 

 neys and clerks, probably 



Taxes due. 



School fund loaned to indi- 

 viduals, 



10,199 99 



17,081 69 



16,163 00 



1,000 00 



$251,917 56 



10,000 00 

 40,642 66 



44,655 09 



95,297 75 



Apparent state debt, $156,619 81 

 But $119,637 19 of this debt is due to 

 the school fund, which is the property of 

 the state and subject to the control of the 

 legislature, and to the same fund there is 

 due from individuals, <!!44,655 09, making 

 in the whole «^164,292 28: so that the 

 state possesses in its school fund means, 

 more than sufficient, to meet all its lia- 

 bilities. And as a large share of this fund 

 has been contributed by the people of the 

 state, during the same period in which 

 tlie state debt has been contracted, there 

 would be little injustice done, should the 

 legislature abolish this fund, ordering the 

 balance of it, after paying all the debts of 

 the state, to be paid into the state treas- 

 ury. This would render Vermont free 

 from debt with a surplus in the treasury 

 of near $8,000. 



Salaries. — The salaries and pay of the 

 officers of government in Vermont have 

 always been low, but were, in most cases, 

 higher, at the first establishment of the 

 government, than they have been since. 

 At the October session of the legislature 

 in 177'~>, the governor's salary was fixed 

 at £300, equal to .$1000, and the pay of 

 councillois and representatives at £,l,4s. 

 equal to .$4 per day, and one shilling per 

 mile for a horse.* 



The principal salaries and pay estab- 

 lished by the present statutes of the state, 

 are as follows : 



$750 

 1,375 

 500 

 275 

 250 

 275 

 200 

 125 

 125 

 150 



Governor's salary. 

 Judges of supreme court, (each) 

 Treasurer and com. school fund, 

 Secretary of state. 

 Secretary of the senate. 

 Clerk of the House of Rep's, 

 .Secretary to the governor. 

 Assistant secretary of the senate, 

 Assistant clerk of the house, 

 Eno-rossing clerk. 



* On Iii)r5i0).ick and on Cmt were almost the on)y 

 methoils of travelini in ihose days. Carriages were 

 scarcely known in the state. 



