Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1857-07-18
Resembling TIE VOTE.

tlemen in this county to place themselves
in an antagonistic position, as we con-
ceive, to the best interests of the county,
and convicted them, we think, Of being
Influenced solely by the most unworthy
and unjustifable motives of recrimina-
ton, private pique and personal spite, as
well as prompted thereto by outside die
tation. We propose this week to exam
inc some of the objections taken against
this loan of the county's credit, which
of course become applicable in the con-
test for resembling.
One of the objections which we hear
expressed, is that of principle-the prin-
ciple of voting tax upon the county
1t has always appeared to us that princi-
pie has but little to do with such matters.
1t is altogether question of finance
matter of dollars and cents. The only
consideration is, evil it pay ?-Will
the general good received overbalance
any contingent evil ?" If the county, as
a county, will be benefited by the roads
construction, then it is right and proper,
as well as matter of good policy, that
the county should take steps to grasp and
secure the promised benefits. But wheth
err this position of ours is the right one
or not, it matters but little, since the OBJ
lection is predicated always upon the con-
tingency of tax. The fact that there is
no tax involved in the premises, is an
insuperable bar to the objection. The
known hostility of the Democratic NOM
inee for county judge to the road, and
the plain, distinct and emphatic assertion
of Mr.. TABOR, the Republican candidate
"a man whose honesty is unquestioned,
and whose integrity is incorruptible =
that if elected he will demand the fullest
and most undoubted security for both
principal and interest, puts an effectual
quietus upon all fears as regards this
point. If the county is secured, there
can be no tax if there is no tax, the
point of the objection is lost.
Another objection we have heard ad-
vanced by several farmers is, that the
road will increase the value of their pro-
perty without correspondingly increasing
its productiveness. This may appear like
very novel objection to some persons,
and did so to us, when we first heard it.
We could scarcely conceive that sane
man should object to a rise in the value
of his real estate because he cannot raise
more wheat or corn or oats to the acre
than when it's worth was at a lower stand
ard. But it is exactly the same objec-
ton which men make to having their
property assessed at its full value-deem-
ing that thereby they secure a reduction
in their tax. They forget that if all
$50. ------a -l-,r -. :.
requires double the per centage to be as
sessed to secure certain amount of rev.
enue, that it would if it was assessed at
its full value, and that, therefore, there is
nothing gained by the common course of
a general depreciation in the assessed
from the real value of property. This
same reasoning, we suppose, operates with
those who make this objection. If the
per centage of tax always remained the
same, then anything that increases the
value of farm would increase the pro-
prietor's tax. But as this rate of taxa
ton is variable one, and with the same
amount of revenue to raise would be but
half on two million dollars worth of pro-
perty that it would be on one million, it
can readily be seen that the farmer does
not necessarily have his expenses in
creased by an increase in the value of his
lands, or that he cannot make just as
much off an acre of land when it is worth
ten dollars as when it is worth five, even
though he does not raise any more pro-
duce. Of course cheaper facilities to
better markets would enable him to make
a great deal more, by reason of better
prices, but we throw this consideration
aside.
We are also often met with the objec-
ton that as the county refused her aid to
the Dubuque & Pacific road, there is no
reason why she should help the Wapsi-
pinicon road ; and that the opponents of
the other proposition are the friends of
this, and therefore there is no consisten-
cy in their course. Let us compare these
propositions. and the circumstances at
tending them. The proclamation in re-
gard to the Dubuque g. Pacific Road was
as follows. We copy from the Civilian
of May ED, 1856:
STATE OF IOWA,l
BUCHANAN CO.
I, o. Ii. p. RoszelI, County Judge Of said