Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-05-30

ViS"l tNl'PliN"OlOh hNlthNi 40 ~ 81.
reflection upon their honesty or ca
pacity to point it out when it oc
eurs; all sensible men will regar(
it as an error Of judgment, and seeI
its correction according to law
NJ. says that the people of Wash
ington have made no complaint
nor in any way tried to shirk out
by pleading poverty, and that they
can't stand the amount of tax nee
essary for six roads, &c. in that
particular will have to state, out
of charity, that Ms memory is a
little at fault. Now for the facts;
When the viewers and surveyors
were appointed on the Columbus
road, they took the law as their
guide, and pointed out and report
ed all the lots and lands within two
miles of every portion of the road
within the county, that in their
opinion were benefited and ought to
be assessed, and that embraced
nearly, if not all the lots and lands
within that limit, and it now stands
on the record, or ought to stand
there, as the report of those view
ers and upon that report the i'm
provement was ordered by the
County Commissioners, and when
once ordered, no one had right to
charge it; the road was sold and
assessors were appointed, whose
sole and only business was to ap-
portion the estimated expense on
the lots and lands pointed out, or
listed by the first viewers accord
ing to the benefit derived. They al
so at first, took the law for their
guide, and apportioned the assess
ment, or estimated expense of the
road on those lots and lands, ac-
cording to the list furnished by the
first viewers, including a radius Of
two miles from the terminus at the
corporation of Washington; their
assessment was returned to the
Auditor, and the citizens of Wash
ington inspected it, and found that
their lots and lands were not assess
ed in accordance with their views.
At the next meeting of the Com
missioners, some of the leading cit
liens Of that village appeared before
the board and protested, and argued
that their quota or assessment was
too high, and besides that the Coun-
ty Commissioners had no right to
assess the property within the Cor
poration, at all, and consequently |
they ought not to be taxed for the
improvement, although every one Of
them had signed the petition for it.
To which it was replied by one Of
the Commissioners, that if Washing
tAN could not be taxed or assessed,
,clieu BloomingbIrg and Jefferson
vile would be exempt also, for they
were corporations as well as Wash
ing but that if Washington, after
signing thFse petitions, meant to
shjrh out y pm paying its fair quota
to help buiF these roads, it would
be best to let%he people know it at
the start. In that event it was more
than likely that the people in the
coQs*ry would RAock them all hign-
er ian a kite. ut that he thought
them was slig error in the cal
culations Of the az essment on Wa
,inasmuchS s they had made {
the assessment on Washington for
the benefit of the Columbus road {
any regard to the probable
continuation Of the road through {
Washing ton, and that the more eq- |
uitable mode would be to regard '
them as through roads, and assess {
Washington the same per centage t
for the one through road that is as {
sessed on the property along the |
balance Of the road then Washing '
ton would pay for each end of the t
road half of that percentage. Thus t
if the real estate along the road /
pays five per cent. on It's valuation, t
then Washington would pay two S
and a half per cent. for each end of I
the road, and out of that he said he I
would have no objection to deduct S
the average cost of the Improvement c
through the corporation - say one Il
mile, or whatever it might be. Thus G
5he real estate duplicate Washing &
ton is S232,550, which, at five per t
cent. equals S12127 so, out of which C
deduct $4,000, the cost Of one mile p
Of the Improvement in the cor a
Doration, and it leaves $9127 30 to tI
to be divided between both ends Of e
ihe road, which would leave $780, IL
IS for each end Of the road. s
Thereupon one OF the parties, who g
was leading business man in Wa a
sprang to his feet and
said: 81 see your views are not so c.
unreasonable, after all. Put the tt
'oads through, anyhow; we want ii
he roads. | am willing to pay my c,
hare to help build them; l don't c,
are what the expense may be-
Build the roads, anyhow"
Thereupon the whole company a,
departed, apparently satisfied with =,
hat explanation, and l might add a. a,
hat the people in the county would u
lso be satisfied with an assessment u
IN that basis, which to all candid ID
linds, after mature deliberation, IL
,ill appear fair and equitable, and lie
,b;ob I m, coticfio6 thot tho bOOact | 81