The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1875-04-08

have talked apous VIC
regard as the great evil of our road
system. First, raising tax by assess
ment on the districts. Second, the
compulsory labor system and poll tax.
Third, the difficulty of getting paid
for road services ina reasonable time.
Now the Alternative road law does
not even attempt to moderate these
wrongs, except as to compulsory Ia
Dor, and in lieu thereof leyiesa year
! " poll tax of $50 upon every male
inhabitant between the ages of twen-
ty-one and the time of their death,
or removal, without power to exempt
the aged and infrm, the lame or the
blind. I can well understand why
the representatives from wealthy
districts should favor its adoption,
as it relieves them from any share in
county tax for opening and laying
out new roads, from cost of making
changes in roads, the salary of sur
veyors in the districts, cost of tools,
&c. from bding under any circum-
stances compelled to share the ex-
penscs in the future, necessarily to
be incurred in the less improved,
thinly settled, and poorer parts Of
the county.
The following is list of the tax
able property in each district, and
showing the sum levied upon each
hundred dollars in the respective
districts for the year 1874: Wagsener
district, 81, 20O,l22 81; Tithablcs Gil,
and 5 cents tax on the 500; Robin
son district, s6SS,0S5 81; Tithables
! 249, and scents tax; Graham district,
S646,S56 IS, Tithables S21, tax 10
cents; .Arbuckle district, s59S,996 81;
Tithables sd, tax 10 cents; Clenden-
en- district, s501,557 g.; Tithablcs
81, tax 10 cents; Lewis district, (not
including town poroperty) SHIT
80, TithaJlcs, HI, tax5 cts: Cooper
district, 1899, 800 So; Tithables 1856,
tax Is cents; Hannah district, $3S1,
$40 81; ,Tithablcs $50, tax 10 cents;
Cologne district, s202,S41 so, Titha-
bles 176, tax 10 cents; Union district,
SIG, 1913 20; Tithables 2S5, tax 10
cents; by which it is seen that the
tax at the rate offs cents Will raise
as much road fund in Waggener as
SO cents will be in Union, that the
poll tax in that district will bring
nearly $1,000, while in Cologne the
poll tax amounts to but s2G4. That
the poll tax will insWaggcncr near
" keep their roads in repair, while
in three orfour other districts they
will be compelled to submit to an ex-
cesSi7c property tax, together with
the oppressive poll tax.
Mr.. Redmond speaks of the cost of
an election, what it would cost do
not know, but am satisfied it would
be trifling compared to the cvils that
would result from the operation Of
the new system in this county; and
many persons in the county favored
this system as they have since told
ne, for the simple reason that they
did not understand it as it really is,
or had not considered its effects. fa-
vored submitting the system to 4 vote
myself, but having myattcntion called
to some of its provisions, examined
the law and believing it wrong, op-
posed its adoption, and am still sat
isfcG that the system will be injur-
ious in its operation in most of the
districts in this county and that it
would be ruinous inhilly and thinly
settled districts, those districts, that
have been long neglected, while
others have had their roads perman-
emily drained stone culte and
bridges erected and repaired out Of
the county treasury.
It is not my object or intention to
regard in any spirit of unfriendlincss
the advocates of the new system, nor
to reflect in any way upon The road
surveyors of the several districts, for
better selection could not well have
been made; and while have the
most decided objection to the Alter
native System, lam at thesame time
persuaded that each of the surveyors
will together with my friend Mr.
Redmond, accept this as q candid eff.
fort upon my part TO show the faults
of the system. and the motives that