The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-10-21
WELL ANSWERED.
Hon. VIM. jays Arguments Ably AM
sWered by An Old Settler.


WELL ANSWERED.
Hon. VIM. jays Arguments Ably An
sWered by An Old Settler.
To the E1Itor of the Emporia NEws.
EMPoRIA. Kas., Oct. 10, 1861 have
glanced over the Communication OF Mr.
Jay in this ,Venina's paper. and at your
comments on the same, and YOU will par
don me if dissent from the conclusions
you arrive at as 10 the position taken by
Mr.. Jay upon the propositions submitted
70 the vo.e rs of the city and county as ~
whether they are willing to incur debt
for much needed improvements when the
health Of. opr people and the security OF
onr county records are involved.
mir. Jay sometimes writes and speaks
In sense he delights to style PIckwickian.
and is to ba read between the lines and mol
literally. TO illustrate what l mean lei
me relate romance from life.
MIR. Jsy came to Kansas about 16 gears
| ago, say 1879, having, as / have been in.
tormed, The year before travelled exteI-
slVely over much OF the settled and unset.
/ tied portions of the stale, and located
IN EmporIa, then village
The county seat then as now of Lyon c0un
ty, with . population of four OF five thou
sand, and having a bonded debt OF nearly
| half million aud taxable valuation OF
probably between two and three million OF
dollars, q debt representing nearly twenty
| i've per cent Ot her entire capital. So lit
tie intimlda.ed by this state OF affairs was
Mr.. Jay that he not only settled In this
| county but invested largely in real estate,
giving as high as two hundred dollars per
| acre for raw prairie adjoining the village.
and where Ae now resides Certainly 4lr.
Jay is liking when he writes of debt
such as Is now proposed fright ming away
| settlers, fol- the debt OF the County, pres
ent and prospective, including the couu
house bonds, viii not be as great Is II Was
when Mr.. Jay mace his investments, ~hilI
the resources of The county have more
than ttebled.
Mr. Jay talks OF our present heavy
bonded debt, and TO judge by Nh>I he
writes, the resder would naturally think
that We were grooming under taxes levied
to M ct the interest. But Mr.. Jay knows
that the great bulk OF the Aforesaid bonds
represents not so much debt as an in
vestmenl paying to this city and county
an income of about twenty thousand
dollars Year, from property that only
exists ov virtue of this investment, as lar
IS Lyon county is concerned, and at the
cost to the county of about $l2. 500 per
sHDum, leaving balance upon the credit
OF the eounty's account OF over $1,000, to
say nothing of the indirect profits. AIR.
Jay as 8 banker mutt certainly know this,
and conse quenily can not be serious when
he writes OF an investment as buIdensome
which shows such results.
Mr. Jay Is also known as humane man
as friend OF the poor arc those with
whom fortune hiss dealt hardly. He do
uated lib, rmllV 10 the eff1 ,cted by the
storm at or near Hsrtland slso To the sui
teEcrs by the earthquake al Charleston.
and certaiuly cannot ne serious when he
infers that FOR thu sake of saving q few
paitry dollars IN taxes, he would be will
ing 10 continue the lnhuman treatment
now melted out by Lyon county, Lot only
to her CRIMINALS. tut suspected persons,
to the insane end the idiotic, and, as has
Occurred on more Than one occasion, to
perfectly Innocent persona III justly in-sr-
cerated treatment which we'll Informed
and reliable witnesses say has greatly ex-
ceeded in all things, bat food, the widest
| horrors of the southern prison pens dur
ing our late war; berding in the same cells
| the indie. ed for misdemeanOr with the
rapist aud the murder, the child OF tender
VI ars with the hardened criminal OF sixty
There certainly can be no hope of reform
under such system, and MIR. j ay is sure
iY TESTING when he touches upon
It SO lightly. We may, il is true, differ
In our ideas as 10 the remedy proposed ,
but il we coucede the detects OF the
county's prescn ut accommodation let me
at least hope That no fears of seal Will
deter the people OF the county from try
ing TO correct, at least, some OF the glar-
ing evils OF the present state OF Stfairs-
The interess of the county should be
| carefully guarded in every thing that calls
@k,n avn of hIr hR u hO
boards his cash because he fears some
| boGy may steal. ceases 10 be citIzen 70
become mlser.
The county now rents offices for three OF
| four OF the officials for lack of room in the
court house, at an expense OF several hum
| dred dollars per annum, and the hin
ORANGES e. the transaction of business by
reason of cTamped accommodations and
outside disturbances represent an unneces-
| saEily large sum, and should be taken into
account when considering the proposition
an item which think amounts to az least
81 600, to be deducted from the interest
paid upon the bonds, making the net rental
of the new court house, providing 1t cost
| $4,000, and the eight Commercial street
lots and the building now owned ~ the
county brings in nothing, $4,000, which If
lsss than half what business property Of
| equal value rents for IN this CITY.
1t is animated that the proposed I'M
provement Is likely to cost much more
thaC the amount indicated. Yet ii lie posi-
BILE that the requirements o. the county
may be met for less. and TO guard against
extravaganza. l would suggest the app pint
msnt of a commission, to consist OF sucI
careful and successful business men IS W
| T. Soden j. A. Moore, John FlU9er Z
F. SpT1eue, Wm Jay and q. V. Eskridge
| who shall have charge of this expendit-
| ure and guard the interests of the county
| When value received is derived from ar
| invs ssment the debt incurred is offset b3
a proDorticnsie benefit and il paws its own
way, either directly in cash or indirectly
/ by results that render the outlay IN othel
directions less. OLD SETTLER