Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1872-01-23
For the Spectator,
Township Taxation.
Christmas has come!
And it comes but once a year /!

Mr.. EDTOR:-One Of the Township officers
has called the writer's attention TO an evil which
he says Is growing one in township admins
tratlon, lis the increasing application to
Judge Hendren for new roads and changes of
roads In one of the Townships North River
perhaps, he said there we're twelve or fourteen
now pending, besides several lately acted on,
M which orders were made to open the roads.
Few even amongst the most Intelligent, dream
OF the very heavy amount of taxation involved
In single case OF this sort, every cent of
which is to be borne by the several Townships
Besides the regular tax each land -owner paws
to keep the public roads 10 repair, he pays
what IS called special tax to detray all the ex
penses incident to these applications for new
ones and involved 10 this aggregate is the cost
OF jurles, sheriffs fees for sum moning them,
damages allowed land holders, and last but not
least, so cents per Gay to hands to open them.
Depict two or three Of these eases that have
been brought to the attention of the WRITER
The road from Mowry's Mill, thro' the lands
OF Fishburne and others into the McAdam
road near Cline's Mill, unmportant and IN
necessary n0,u, when We are so crushed with
taxation, only three miles in length, and every
oae interested in it, now well accommodated
with road via D. Fultz to Staunton. On this
tTlt1iug road We are taxed with FIVE or six ju-
rles, $75 to 500 damages, besides other ex-
the same vicinity that we could have done
without for years, is the Landes Mill road Of
one-and- three-iourths or tnG miles, that will
cost the township, say $500 per mile. Anoth-
er and more striking case is one that origlna-
ted, as public opinion believes, in bad blood
and luminosity between few neighbors, some
OF them near relations, and could fer years
have been dispensed with. There have been
several juries on it and if the writer is correct
y informed at late term, Judge Hendren
made an order requiring all the roads 10 that
vicinity to be surveyed aud an elaborate report
made to the next term, Involving very heavy
and entirely useless expense. why do l say
so? Because there is most carefully pre-
pared map made by j. Hotchkiss at the in
stance and expense of f. D. Dellinger fled
among the papers 10 his DIS application for
the Dellinger bridge that the Judge has seen
several times. This map so prepared as to
shew the bearing oil all the roads 10 the North
west end of the county should have been used
not only in this Orebaugh and Ira p Huffman
road case. but In the application now pending
for bridge over Middle River, and saved all
this worse than useless expense 10 surveys of
roads But [ repeat, Judge Hendren ought to
scan all applications Of this sort most rigidly,
and set his face flint against them. The
bar could do much to discourage this heavy
drain on our pockets.
Will you, Mr.. Editor take the pains to ex-
anime the Clerk office and get all the items
of cost in these cases and others in other parts
of the county Il loathe the word Township
l from the very bottom of my heart) and instruct
tho neopie up to irowniug down all applica-
tons s,r "eW roads, for any cause whatever, un-
~ In NO ~ some daylight ahead. Please ask
H. v" H :an PC tfgiaian to copy this
'-0 ''''''''S'' anu GLEN AVIS.