The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-09-14
SHALL WE REPuOlAIE 2

Whom we contract TO pay a certain
sun of money the obligation topay
rests upon the rendering Of the equiva-
lent Technical difficulties aud legal
quibblea combined, cannot operate 10
force the payment, when the oquiVas
lent has not been passed, nor when the
prospect of its ever passing, Is but dark
and cloudy The city voted large
sum IN bonds to the Dallas and Wichi.
Ia, The holders Of those bonds dc.
mnnd the interest, aye, and collect IL
too, even IN these hard times when
money il scarce and their failure TO
complete the road within the time
agreed upon, makes II tighter and
harder, The raw wounds made on the
3lst ultimo, when the last installment
was wrung from our impoverished peo'
pie, mutely but eloquently attest the
truth Of the saying, that II IL hard to
pay even honestly contracted obliga-
tons, but il is murder 10 pay when
nothing has ever been received in res
turn. The 3lst of August Is not red
letter day in the history of the Dallas
taxpayer, and no amount of law COM
mon or otherwise, will reconcile
the people or teach them that il is right
to pay the interest on the Dallas and
Wichita bonds while the contractors
and money-lenders are quOrreling over
the tear stained taxes wrung from an
unwilling people Unwilling only be-
cause Of the delay on the part Of the
contractors to push the road TO compile
ton,
Let the people utterly refuse TO pay
this interest until work has been res
sumed, and there is some prospect OF
the roads being built 1t will
cost them no more TO con
test the matter in the courts
than it will to have THEN
business crippled by the failure to COM
plete the road, and the building up and
fostering of rival points of trade which
this delay is doing, Perhaps there is
not II property holder in Dallas who
would esteem it u hardship to pay this
tax, if there were any ultimate prospect
of the road, but there is not one who
would not gladly make any reasonable
sacrifice to do So if the work was being
pushed ahead with vigor and earnest
ness.
We utterly refuse to 90 into the
minute particulars of the deadlock
(which occurred in May last at this time
because we have been over that ground
often before We will not become 4
partlaan to any OF the parties whose
strenuous opposition and struggle tol
advantage is preventing the completion
of the road We simply ask that they
reconcile all adverse interests and res
sumo work, or in failing to do that, we
advise the people to refuse the payment
of all future interest accrung on bonds,
and sue for restitution of that already
paid. After other roads have been built
other systems have been perfected
other towns built up and the business
of the country to be tapped by the road
has been directed into other channels
then it will become matter of indiG
ference TO Dallas whether the Dallas and
Wichita is ever built or not Delayed
another season and the entire road would
not DO worth to Dallas what one install
ment of the interest on the bonds il
worth. The suggestions above may not
bear close legal scrutiny, Indeed they
are not so intended, but they will stand
all unaffected in the strongest light Of
equity, and this Is enough in all con
| cience