The St. Johns herald., 1886-09-02

S = tee ? and why is it that We don't hear of the damage to said bridge, and that too from light flood, while the water was higher, and spread over more of the bottom lands at Holbrook than ever known before, at the time our bridge and dam were injured? It makes Q great deal of difference whose bull does the goring. Inillustration of this point, the Board Of Wagon Road Commission CTS, at their meeting in December, de- cided to ask for plans and estimates for the two bridges, with a fve-year guar antee. After weeks of advertising they came together to find out that not one plan or bid was submitted, subject to the required guarantee, while the bridge builders of the county cursed them for their stupidity.
 Again-you ask me how many of the stockholders of the Dam Company sign ed the petition for the dedication of d road from Holbreok to Woodruff. Easily answered. Eleven out of the fifty sign ers-only eleven-are owners of stock or interested outside of general inter- est in a public matter Don't you think that those eleven stockholders are we'll backed up by the thirty-nine taxpayers of the precincts represented. But sup pose the entire fifty were stockholders, is that any reason why their petition should be disregarded and treated with contempt? Or does the fact of man being taxpayer in this county close his mouth, and deprive him of the sacred right of petition in the interest of his own community? At that rate how much property must a man accummu- late when the right of suffrage will be taken from him?
 You state the amount we received for the bridge was $4,7O0, which is an CT ror-$4, ,500 is the correct amount, and the idea of us building bridge 343 feet long, for $1, 200, as you put it, is prepos- terous. And in case we could have built it for $l00 or $1, is that any reason we should have done so? By what sense of right or justice should we, the citi- zens of Holbrook, or any other com munity be required to donate to the pub lie use our property-a foundation cost ing us more than was paid for the bridge? Why shouldn't we have fair and equita- ble return in giving up our property, whether to private or public enterprises? That is not the way the officials of Apache county figure on their accounts against generous public.
 It has been stated that the Board of Supervisors had bid to build bridge at Holbrook for $3,500. What sense is there in such false statements? A bridge 800 feet long (which is the shortest pos sible stretch) for $3,500, and that too in the face of card published in the coun- ty paper offering $200 in gold to any man who would draw plan for bridge at Holbrook, to be approved by the bridge builders of the county, that would cost less than $5 800, and he might have as well said $10,000, for it can't be done for even that amount. Why did not some of their cheap bridge builders draw the plan and secure the reward The truth of the matter, MT. Editor, is that in Holbrook, as we'll as other pre- cincts of our county, there is decided majority of permanently settled tax payers who do not bow the knee to Baal or wink at the iniquities of the god of Moloch, and anything they may propose or do, must be squelched at all hazards, even at the sacrifice of all things that should be counted good, pure or holy by men in official position. In regard to later communication in your columns wherein my name occurs about thirty times, will state that man who pays little or no taxes-whose property is un- der mortgage for more than it is worth who has lived by eXtortion from the public and out of the county treasury is scarcely" the proper party to appear in public print as critic of any man his animus is too apparent to be any, thing but brutal, and in this connection allow me to remind your readers of the fable of the jackass kicking the dead lion, and to emphatically state that I am not that jackass.
 F. NJ. ZUCK.