The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-03-03
COnMUNICATIONs.
Facts VS.. Justice.

EDITOR PREss:-Y Y our last issne con-
tainS curiosity in point of information
in local matter, in the shape of a com
munication over the name of Justice"
He says: "The Town Council has it
under consideration to purchase lul
and erect a work House." &c, &c.
Where does Justice get this informa
tion? 1t is doubtful if any member of
the council ever thought of such an
idea as purchasing lot on which TO
erect a work house What they are do
ing is to arrange portion OF the Jail
to be used as such, at cost of about
forty or fifty dollars. That is all. And
then he wisely asks chow would you
make the offenders work. ] answer,
simply as they do in other places all over
the civilized world II they don't ,rOrk,
gire them nothing to cat. Give them
reasonable amount of stone to break
and when they have done this allotted
amount, discharge them. II seems TO
be no punishment 10 put offenders in the
village prison for few days, feed them
well and then discharge them. Make
them work and we will have less rowdv-
ism and better paved streets. Columbus
street needs macadamizing from Mrs.
Lutz's to the Catholic Church, and how
much better to have il done by tramps
and offenders than to tax the citizens
who we agree have already enough TO
pay. Had the council carried out this
plan year ago it would have paid for
itself in half that time, besides being a
1.-The taxable property is now mortgaged
for about one-fifth of its value for taxes"
The taxable property of Somerset is
appraised at over tUo hundred thousand
dollars and would sell for twice that
amount to day. So far as the council
is concerned the levy was less last year
than for the past six years, and it ia ont
of debt and has nearly one thousand dol
lars in the treasury at the present time.
Ifhe can show when and how the coun-
Gil has wasted or squandered any of the
corporation funds let us have the figures
and facts "for," az Dan Kelley says,
Figures won't lie" So far as the School
Board is included in this oppression.
the people voted it upon themselves,
and now why try and saddle the coun-
Gil with that, too. And now about the
property-"being now mortgaged for
about ne-ftih of it's value" Whose au-
thority did this young man study? Again
he SAYS "If it consumes on in this way,
tax payers will have to let there proper
ty be sold for taxes" Taxes are high,
we admit, but are not rents high when
property rents for 20 to 25 per cent. per
year on its original cost? He objects to
the Mayor getting a salary except in
hearing cases. The Mayor is only al
lowed in the aggregate what the Mayor
has been allowed for the past Isix or
eight years. Does he wish the Mayor
to attend to the business of the corpora
tion for nothing?-drawing up and
writing all ordinances, street-cleaning
renting Hall, collecting all rents, hav-
ing all necessary repairs done to the
public property, &C., &C.? Any one who
will agree to do that for nothing, get
cursed and abused and dogged besides,
places quite value upon his time and
would probably enjoy the above 1uxur
les. In conclusion, he says. "Look at
the bridge down here" Well, what can
the council do? They appointed, some
two years ago, the Mayor as a committee
in regard to the bridge "down here"
The Mayor met the commissioners and
laid the matter before them and the
commissioners expressed themselves as
in favor of new bridge; but the ques-
tion as to which 1.-THE r. r. Co., or the
cOuntyl-should build it. is in litigation
Does Justice" want the council of
Somerset to build it? We are not dis
posed to bet often, but we will wager a
two-gallon jug full of the best gin in
Somerset that if such a proposition was
agitated he would oppose it in language
more powerful than prayerful.
AN OLD CITIZEN.