Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-16
GOOD ROADS.
The Bond System and the Pay-As-You-GO system
Compared for the Farmers Benefit
Eos7. vyoprz Trx Ian II $50


Compared for the Farmers Benefit
Fort WORTH, Tax, Jan. Is, 1889.
To the Gazette.
There are no country people in the
cities OF Dallas or Fort Worth.
Why?
No roads TO travel on, or impossible
roads is the positive fact, and everybody is
clamoring for good roads The people
want the legislature to Go away with the
present onerous and unjust road law;
but, what can the legislature do that
viii give general satisfaction?
Senator Jarvis has 81 bin to present
which is local option and gives each
county the high privilege of voting bonds
to a certain extent for road purposes.
The state convention held in Dallas the
9TH of this month was represented with
delegates from eighteen counties, and
these delegates saw proper in their judg-
ment to vote down the bond proposition
by majority of some ten or twelve
votes. Then came up several reSolR-
tons, of which none seemed to suit that
honorable body
On last Friday the Tarrant county al
lance, of forty odd alliances, was in
session. The road question was ably
discussed pro and con, and the bond
question was voted down, as I think,
detrimental to our county.
Now for facts and figures It has been
figured out by many, and al cOncede,
that Is cents on the Sl00, with the fines
and forfeitnres of this county, amounting
to S22 200 this LAST year, viii pay the
interest and create a sinking fund that
will wipe out debt of $500 GOO in twenty
years time. 1t is safe to say that three
out of every five that would vote for said
bonds viii live to see that debt paid and
enjoy the fruits of their labOrs from If
teen to perhaps sixty years, as well as
their poSterity. There was considerable
inquiry in the alliance as to what became
of the 10 cents for road and bridge
purposes. l made inquiry of
the commissioners court. Their report
next month, win show how and where it
has been used. twenty-five iron bridges,
culverts, scrapers, small wooden bridges,
plows and the convicts, all cost money,
and different neighborhoods are calling
for more bridges. The alliance passed
resolutions favoring better road law,
poll ana direct tax. Let us see, say our
vote in Tarrant county is $500, our tax
able property Sl3 200, 900. Capt. Tom
Brown of Sherman proposes to pay as
you go. He adds, 81 poll tax and 20
cents to 10 cents, the present limitation,
will make 40 cents on the SI0O worth OF
taxable property. The 81 would give
us SI3 900. The 30 cents would give us
$50, 900 added together it gives usS65 900.
Now TO get the required $500 900 by such
a proposition would take about FIVE years,
which would be an invaluable
loss of nearly six years be-
fore we could get our roads;
whereas the bond system win give the
same roads in three years, saving the
wear and tear Of horses, harness, wagons
and the greater amount of religion of
three years.
Now, brother farmer, let us move to
reconsider, or are you prepared to pay
this extra $40 600, the above direct tax
for five years TO come? The short term
convict system is generally conceded to
be q good and just problem as far as it
goes. The district clerk tells me there
were eighty-four cOnviets in the last two
years which could do a vast amount of
work. T.. S. LINGENFELTER.