Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-03-26
THE RAILROAD BOMBS.

Notwithstanding we are told that
Judges Bigolow, BelknRp and Murphy
examined the bill authorizing the
Commissioners of Elko county to
issue bonds to aid in the construction
Of railroad in this county, and gave
it az their opinion that the county
could not be held responsible for the
payment OF either interest or principal
OF said bonds, the people are not salts
fed that the bonds provided for arc
As innocent Hs the promoters OF tho
scheme would have US believe. II
tho bonds provided for in tho Act are
to DO issued in good faith for the sole
purpose OF relieving tho road from
county taxation, why was the bill not
drawn 80 as TO provide for this object
alone, instead Of providing for an i'm
possibility? AS it is, it is evident
that the revenue derived from the
road in taxes will not even pay the
interest; aud all this rigmarolo of pro-
viding q Railroad Sinking Fund for
the payment of first, the interest, and
second, the principal of the bonds, In
simply nonsense; and that there is
something more in the measure than
is apparent on its face is o matter of
grave suspicion.
If the object is merely to exempt
the road from taxation for % years,
and for no other purpose, that object
could have been fully accomplished
by providing for possibility in the
following manner: On tho completion
OF ton miles of road the county to
issue bonds in the sum of $4,000, and
in the same manner 10 issue bonds at
the rate of $1,000 per mile for each
mile Of road in the county; said bonds
to bear interest at the rate Of 4 per
cent. per snnum, the principal and in
forest to be paid only from the taxes
derived from the entire property of
Raid road within Elko county. Had
the bill been drawn with the FORE
going provisions, the object Of exempt
ing the road from taxation would
have been as fully accomplished az it
is in the bill that passed. and the
people of the county could readily see
that the payment Of the bonds and
i0terest from the taxes on the road
would be possibility. That the bill
was not 30 drawn ia evidences that
there lie, to use vulgar expression, a
nigger in the woodpile, and we voice
the sentiment Of large majority OF
the taxpayers Of the county in de-
nouncing the Railroad Bill as an in
sidious scheme to involve the county
in an immense debt for the benefit Of
o wealthy corporation.
If this writer were a member OF tho
Board Of County Commissioners he
would use his influence to have an
order passed refusing TO issue the
bonds provided for in the Act, should
the Board ever be called upon to do
60, and we believe that il the Board
would pass such an order the people
OF the county would, almost to man,
stand by them and sustain their
action through the Courts, il neces-
sary, with all the means that they
could command. The taxpayers Of
Elko county have not yet descended
to that state Of servility which would
prompt them tamely to submit to an
imposition OF this character, foisted
upon them by few men who wore
sent to the Legislature to represent
their interests, without even 80 much
as "by your leave" from any of their
constituents as authority for their
action in the premises.