Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-12-11
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OUR COUNTY ROADS.
The Road Law Should Be
Amended So That Each
School District May
Vote Its Own
Road Tax.

Is near at hand when the Represen-
tatives OF the people are to meet
in Jefferson City to enact,
amend and repeal the laws which
now and hereafter are to
govern our people. The motto of
our State makes "The will of the
people the supreme Law of the
land." and the object in writing
this article is, to find the will of the
people upon the very important
matter of roads, and road work in
our county. The last Legislature
enacted the Law that road overseers
should be elected at the annual
meeting of the school district; 60
this officer, (and a very important
one, too,) is elected as he should
be-by the will of the people. The
next question is, the road district,
its size, etc. The law now pro-
vides that a road district shall be
composed of not less than one nor
more than six school districts, Civ
ing the County Court (upon petit
tion of the districts) the power to
regulate the size or say how many
school districts shall be in q road
district within the limits prescrib-
ed by law. In many instances our
County Court last spring, upon the
petitions of school districts, made
road districts of one school district,
and as far as heard from, the one
district plan has given great satis-
faction. 1t has proven that the
people living 10 a road district Of
the size of q school district feel q
greater interest in working the
roads in their immediate neighbor-
hood than In going all over q large
road district. It has shown that
more work has been done,
and more satisfactorily done, in
proportion in small road districts
than In large ones. Every over
seer and taxpayer feels . greater
interest naturally in having good
roads in his immediate neighbor-
hood than anywhere else. The
common school system of Missouri
Is pronounced to be the very best
in the United States. la our
school districts We vote our own
tax for running our school,
the law providing that We must
have SO many months of school.
Now. why not have our road law
amended and allow US to vote our
own road tax in each school district,
just az we do our school tax, and
at the same time. We vote for
our overseer and our school mat
ters. The limit of the road tax
now is not less than 5 cts. or more
that 20 cts. on one hundred dellars
valuation. Let it stay that way;
but give the people the right to
vote within those limits q road tax
to be certified to County CLERK
at same time and by same clerk
who certifies the school tax and
collected as is the school tax. In
this way the clerk can tell just how
much road tax is due each road
district. The whole thing will be
under the immediate control oi
those most interested, and would
most likely be a great improve.
ment upon the present system.
With this amendment / believe we
would have an effective road law,
for then we could vote q tax in
accordance with the needs of the
roads in every district in the coun.
ty. 1t is impossible for the legisla
ture to enact q road law that will
work well in every county in The
State and it is equally as impossi
BILE for the County Court to set ,
road tax that will fit every roae
district in the county, for some
need twice the amount Of tax tha
others need to make good roads
Some are prairie roads and som.
are timber roads. Five cents OF
the 100 dollars would make goot
roads in some districts, while q
cents on 100 dollars Is needed il
others. A road law with the above
amendments would fit every coun
ty in Missouri and every road dis
. trict in the county, and be com
: pletely under the control of tn,
j people.
Question for debating societies
Resolved, That it would be to tn
Interest of the county TO have il
: road districts composed of on
o school district and vote the roa,
8 tax at the annual meeting of sal
Q school district.
III One OF THE PEOPLE.
81 Sheriff Cleary, of Montgomer
o county, brought J. d. Sherman