The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-12
THE STATE ROAD.
Harrel.'s Reasons for
Advocating It's Sale.

. O6d sOuS ICT
Advocating It's Sale.
The MORNING News has already men
toned the introduction of bill in the legis-
lature by Representative Harrell of Web
ster county 70 sell the state road. The fol-
lowing are Mr.. Harrslis reasons tor advo-
eating the sale of the road:
"As matter of principle the state should
own no property except that which is neces-
sary to carry on the state government It
has the same right to carry on any mercan-
tile or manufacturing or farming in crest
that it has to engage i'll transportation by
owning railroads or steamboats,.
while the builting of the road at the
lime when railways We're in their infancy
may have been defenSible, now, when trans
porlation by railroads is a regular business.
engaged in ny private persons, as they do in
manufacturing or farming, or in other call
ings, the state ought not to engage in COM
petition with them no more than in their
other caliings.
ASA matter of policy the state ought
not to retain property that does not pay.
The present rental of the road only pays
about 80 per cent. on its value. The state
pays an average of about . per cent on its
bonded debt. thus losing annually from l %
per cent. to 2 per cent on over IS, 10000
this means $3.50, 900 to $4,000 annually.
There are only three objections urged
against the sale of the road viz. First, tnat
fair sale, without joobery. could not be
made, and thus 1t would not briDgis value !;
second, that the money arising from its sale
would be Iaid into the treasury and squan-
dered before it could be applied TO the public
debt; third, that it would deprive the COM
mon schools of the half rental, Sl50,000.
"Tne first two objections are clearly met
by the bill introduced by me for its sale
The minimum price is fixed; it cannot be
sold for less aud may bring more, and thai
minim IN price is the amount of The bondei
debt of the state The proceeds are devoted
TO the payment of the bonded debt as it
falls due, aud there can be no misappropria-
ton of il.
1.-The other objection, that is, that i;
would deprive the common schools of $780,
900 annually, is met by the fact thaJ by the
sale of the road as provided for III the bill
introduced by M, from $13J, 900 t. $3.50, 900
is annually saved by the difference in inter
est paid and rental received, and by the
further fact that its sale would cut off the
entire interest on the public deb. which
now amounts to over S46O,OOO
usual for collection, amounts to a
saving annually Of about $780,
900. Suppose you devote even half this
sum to the common schools, then you in
crease its appropriation nearly 100 per
cent. suppose you devote all Of it to schools,
then the people would pay no more taxes
than now and the schools receive three
times the amount now appropriated to
them. And add 10 this the fact that state
ownership is not elastic enough to prese We
the value of the property.
In the present combinations OF railroads
It's value is seriously threatened, and in a
short time 1t may be dead property on the
hands of the state. The new deal of the
Richmond Terminal bottles it up at both
ends; the Marietta and North Georgia rail-
road threatens to cut it Off at Msrietta,
thus making it only local road from Chat
tanooga to Mari tia. This would reducs its
value at least one-fourth, and the first thing
we know we will have on our hands an I'm
saleable road, and one that we cannot reat
for more THAI $4,000 per month.
These considerations convince me that
we ought 70 sell as soon as possible