The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-03-28

each hundred dollars Of valuation The
amount really so insignificant that itwould
seem that no man of enterprise and ambi-
tion for the reputation and growth of the
township could make single objection.
In fact we believe that large majority
would, on a proposition TO build town
hall by private subscription, undertake to
pay larger sum in two equal annual in
stallments, than is proposed to tax them
in the whole period of seven years.
The necessity for new hall is too sp-
parent to need argument and if not, it has
been so fully and frequently stated in our
columns that it would seem almost super
fluous to restate them.
Two societies having but small proper
tion of the wealth of the township have
each built an elegant church, at a cost near
ly as great or greater than the amount propos-
ed for a new town hall, and to the individual
members more than six times larger than
the total tax required, and paid the whole
in from one to three years. They are for
the size of the town, both elegant churches
finely finished and furnished. They have
thus far been opened to many of the better
class of entertainments, which have come
to our town, to their great injury, and no
one conversant with the circumstances can
feel that these places built by private enter
prise and for private uses should be longer
given for audiences and occasions that
must unavoidably injure them to the
amount of many times the sum that is ever
received for their rental Besides they are
lily fitted for the uses for which a town
hall is needed. Concerts, lectures, school
exhibitions, plays, political meetings, have
no place in churches. Coming as they
often do in muddy and rainy weather, they
have many times damaged carpets and fur
niture to more than the value of twenty
five dollars in single evening. And yet
objection has been made to building a
town hall, on the grounds that we do not
need one when the town has two such fine
Churches. This is an objection we had
not expected to hear, but since it is made
will say that the Churches are not opened
willingly to the uses of town hall, nor
do the societies recognize any right on the
part of the public to ask them for such pur-
poses. Every member Of those societies,
especially those who contributed most
largely to their erection will vote cheerful
ly for a tax to build a town hall. 1t is not
mentioned in any sense as threat, but the
feeling prevails largely in both Churches
that if outsiders are unwilling 10 favor the
building of a town hall, the expense of
which win be much less burdensome TO them
than to the members themselves, they will
feel like closing them to everything except
regular Church services
Ii is intimated that the township outside
may oppose the project on the ground that
the benefit win largely accrue TO the vii
lage. 1t will be cheerfully admitted that
those in the corporation will derive more
benefit from it than those outside, yet
every citizen of the township is directly or
indirectly interested and benefited by every
improvement made in it. 1t will never
from public Improvements can be reapeG
equally by all classes, but ii must not be
forgotten that if greater benefit sccrues to
the citizens Of the corporation, they also
contribute by the amount of the additional
value OF their property larger proportion
of the tax required.
But there is no objection that can be
raised to voting the tax now that cannot be
urged with equal force at any future time.
II is not possible to find an occasion when
it will be perfectly convenient for every in
dividual to enter upon any given public
improvement. The necessities for town
hall were never more urgent, nor the indi-
cation more favorable for making begin
ming. We anticipate another objection,
which may be that other Improvements are
more necessary, such as, tor instance
sewerage or water works. We reply that
any system of sewerage to be at all general
in its benefits, would cost much larger
sum than a town hall, while the cost in
stead of being met by general tax, must
be largely assessed upon the property abut
ting the improvement as construction pro
ceded, and would tax the individual five
or ten times more than is required for q
town hall. 1t would bear still more heav
ily upon the individuals in the corporation
by reason of the fact that over one third OF
the property OF the township lies outside
the corporation and having no benefit from
sewers could not be taxed to construct
them. The same objection holds against
water works; besides water works cahno
be made available in advance of sewers u
take care of the waste, nor can sewers be
very useful without water works to fiusl
them and keep them clean. The two
ought and usually do, come nearly or quit'
together, and we think this village is no
ready and will not be for several years Il
come, for two so large and expensive i'm
provements. The town hall is at present
the most feasible and urgent need of th'
township. We hope and expect the prop
osition will carry by very large majority
but the friends of the measure will neeC
to take q personal interest in the matter il
the way Of explaining it to those whose at
tention would not otherwise be called to il
and in showing the necessity, the reasona
bleness and the practicability of the pro
posed improvement.
| County Infirmary.