San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-03-14

the year 1858, according TO the assesSn4e h'
rolls, was something over r1oO,Oo0' - TAX
OF oue-fourth Of one per cent would ii'ho lAe
SUN az tl875 per annum. Deduct MO sum
OF S720 20 pay Interest on the bonds ana
you have the sum OF ~ 100. Now dedud'
the sum Of $1,000 sinking ipnd ana you
have loft the sum u S75j 10 supplement-
the schoo! fund received from the state,
which | think, II carefully managed, WIN
be ample 10 give ne eight or nine months
schooling for our children each yoar. II
any one feeling interest enough IN thlh lnHt,
ten viii make tho calculation he viii ma
that nj tho expiration Of twenty years,
when tho bonds shall mature, they VIII
have principal fund Of $4,000, Now II
tho sinking fund rs il accrues should he IN
vested or loaned out at q low rate OF inter,
est, say G Der cent, per Grnum, you VIII
have an interes, fund Of Sl,5Oi making a
total of Sl2. JOl 10 cancel our bonds with
Now this calculation IL based upon only
a taxable property Of $75O,OUO per annum'
II In not reasonable 10 suppose that our
town has reached is limit in wealth, aud
we can reasonably hore that IN less than
ten years, with ordinary prosperity our To-
sossed values will reach ono million.
As to what taxes our legislature aud COM
missioners court may levy AM not pre-
pared to say, nor is it Involved IN the ques-
ton wo are considering, As before stat
ed, the only question involved is, DO we
need IL new school building aud FUNDS 10
run our public schools eight or Pine months
in the year ? II so, are you willing 10 20
taxed an additional % cents on the SlOo
for it?
But some urge hard times and scarcity
of money as reason why We should not
undertake this enterprise. Now to my
mind that is the very best argument that
can he nsed in favor of building, II we
had 10 put our hands down into our pockets
and pull out the cold onsh, we could not do
it. 1t is proposed to borrow the money on
long time ftom abroad at q low rate Of in
terest, aud il would put in circulation the
sum of $l2, 900, which amount would be
paid out TO our mechanics and laborers who
cannot now find employment enough to
support their families, and every branch 81
trade would be benefited by it.
1t is urged by some that if wo build this
school building it will retard the improve
ment of our streets, No one is more anX-
iouR for the Improvement of our streets
than /, but think that under the present
system, if we use the necessary judgment
judgment WIND energy, wecan soon have
our street in good condition. Now we
have something over 100 hands liable to
FIVE days road duty to begin with. We
have an excellent pair of mules, wagon,
scraper and plows to work with, now let
our street commissioner summon enough
of these hands at time to handle this
tenn and scraper and 60 to work in sys-
tematic way. Stop the patchwork, com
melce on one street and put it in good
condition before quitting it. You will see
that he has hands enoug to keep this team
constantly employed during the entire year,
and if they are inteligently directed our
streets can soon be put in good condition
without the levy of an additional tax Let
our committee on streets aud alleys look to
this, and direct the work in the right way,
and in very short time we Will see very
marked change in our streets.
Now Let us discuss these questio ms in a
business like way laying aside all our pre-
iudices and individual views, and nil work
together for tho best interest of our little
city. | have no more interest in these mat
terst han any other citizen, and am not we'd
ded to any particular plan, and stand ready
ut any time to fall in line With the majority
to do anything in my power to advance the
intere SITS of our town,
II. HARDY, Mayor.