Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-07-18
An Address
| Published by order of the o. r. Union.
TO THE VOTERS OF rHURsroN COUNTY.

Published by order of the o. r. Union.l
In bare justice to yourselves, disre-
gard prejudice and defamation for an
instant and calmly examine the pro-
posed issue of S75 900 currency in county
bonds, at eight per cent. interest in aid
of the Olympia and TeninO Railroad, by
the light of common sense and facts.
The following figures are furnished from
the County Auditors Office, and may be
easily verified by any one who doubts
their correctness:
The assessment of taxable property of
Thurston county, this year, is 81 ,547,-
GsS-over a million and half of dol
lars. Olympia, with tax-list of SAL
ass, and Tumwatcr with tax-list of
$l55, LA, contribute about three-fifths
of the whole county assessment. A tax
of only four mills will yield IS, 100 IS,
and more than pay the interest on the
bonds. Take the present low ASSESS
ment as o basis, and allow that the in
crease of property will be but six per
cent. per annum, although the increase
during the last seven years, from 1865
to 1874, inclusive, exceeded ten per
cent. per annum, and q yearly tax of
four mills applied i'll payment of the in
terest ON the bonds, and the surplus
thrown into sinking fund, will pay off
the whole S75, 600, principal and inter
est, within sixteen years. -Four mills
tax will increase the burden of the av-
eraCe taxpayer Sc rs in currency.
1t will add to the farmers yearly
tax averaging Sc per head. And this is
the darkest view of the situation.
Under the provisions of the carefully
guarded railroad bill, no bonds can he
issued until after the full and final COM
pletion of the road. The road cannot
the first years interest falls due one
year thereafter. Hence the county can
not be called upon to pay a cent until
January /, 1876. In eighteen months,
with the building of the road assured,
the depression now overhanging the
community will have passed. away, the
revival of business and increase of
property will swell the assessment roll
and by the time the first years inter
est falls due it will surely have
reached $4,000, 900. A tax levy of
three (3) mills will then pay the inter
est on the bonds, and allowing a prop
erty increase of bat six per cent per
annum, the surplus, after paving the
interest, thlown into sinking fund,
will extinguish the whole debt in SIX
teen years. Nor is this all. In 1873,
the people of Thurston county paid in
Territorial tax, County tax, School tax,
Road tax, Poll tax, Poll Road tax,
Municipal taxes, licenses and fines, the
sum of SAG, SOB So and in 1872 they paid
$50 900.
If the blatant orators against bonds
will assist in striking off some of these
taxes, Thurston county can pay for her
bonds, build her railroad, and insure
her prosperity without adding one
mill to her tax levy.
SCHOOL TAX.
Olympia and Tumwater pay nearly
thrce-tifths of the school tax. Yet two
thirds of the school fund is distributed
among the country districts, which re-
ceived S2,945 OF in 1873, while the
towns received but 1,SO1 ~, dur
ing the same year with the building of
the railroad, the property or the towns
will be enhanced in value in a greater
proportion than that of the country
districts, and the latter will receive as
much from extra school money as they
will have to pay in extra tax on account
of bonds. The county taxes to be
raised, and the county expenses to be
betrayed, will fall in still heavier pro-
portion upon the towns than now, for
like reason.
On the other hand, vote down this
measure, Illustrate the railroad move
ment, discourage and repulse all the
public spirit and energy that has been
lavished upon it, and Olympia and
Tumwater will go down with an accel-
Grated pace. Many who are now
awaiting the result of this effort will
depart. The public will Justly regard
the town rs doomed. The capital and
public officers will be taken elsewhere.
The tax list of Olympia and Tumwater
will shrink far below it's present amount,
and the country districts instead of hay
ing to bear but two-tfths of the county
expenses, will find themselves COM
PEELED to meet the greater part of them.
Instead of avoiding burden of taxes.
by voting against this measure, it's an
tagonists, if they succeed, will bitterly
realize, when too late, that they have
actually increased their tax levy by di-
minishing and driving away a great
part of the property upon which itrests.
This year, all the taxes levied aggregate
but sixteen mills in the country and
twenty-one mills in the town, which is
below the average rate of taxation else
where. An addition of three or four
mills would not be sensibly felt, and it
may be entirely avoided by the increase
OF taxable property, or by dispensing
with other taxes. No reasonable man,
after fairly weighing these facts, can
oppose this measure on account of in
creasing taxation. The principal tax
payers, careful, prudent men, like