Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-23

devise ways and means of relieving
themselves of the burdens of taxation
to which they will be subjected if this
scheme should pass.
But, seriously, these questions are
aside from the points which have been
made by the opponents of the bonds.
They insist; first that the plan proposed
will not secure good roads, and sec
ondly that no business plan has been
proposed which justifies the expert
ment of raising SiO0, 600 to be expended
they know not how, or by whom, or
what the result Of the expenditure will
be. They insist that if this were pri-
vate enterprise instead of public one,
that no sane man in this county could
be found who would invest five hun
dred dollars i'm an undertaking concern
ing which nothing is known as to
plans or results, and concerning which
nothing is known as TO who will have
the handling Of this money
Ii is said the commissioners can be
trustees, but while no one attributes
any intention of wrong TO any one of
them, yet under the present circum-
stances il is clear they cannot and
ought not TO be trusted to anything
like the extent proposed. Before trust
can be repOscd IN a set Of men or the
question be considered at all, it would
be well to know who they are; and
who can tell what kind of a board Of
commissioners we will have to eNpeud
this money? The present board will be
out Of Office before any part of this
money will be expended least be-
fore any considerable part will be eX-
p nded. -Four hundred thousand dol
lars is a large sum to handle aud man
ipulate, and if the proposition to bond
should carry the handling Of that vast
sum will become an element i'm our
next election and all the bOOdlers and
corruptiOnistS i'm the county will be
found united TO prey upon the carcass
which the people are asked to furnish.
Now put this question TO each Of your
selves personally. Suppose you want a
single mile of road built through your
farm and some contractor were to come
TO you with no plans or specifications
or mode of doing the work or manner
i'm which il should be done, excepting
such as are contained in the commits
sioner's call, and should want 5000 of
your money on that plan; would you
give it to him? or would you not rather
have some better idea of what you were
going to get for your money? We ought
not to be less careful i'm the expenditure
Of public money than private, for in
the end il becomes a private matter.
Pay day Is sure to arrive.
We have been advised by one writer
TO read the turnpike law, and see that
it provides "a way for doing many
things concerning the building Of roads.
NV high regard for the author Of that
advice led me TO read carefully the act
referred to, and 7 cannot see the COM
plete system provided for which my
good friend thinks he sees i'm il. ] do,
however, find the following language:
"But they the commissioners ARE NOI
AUTHORIZED or required to construct or
maintain any such road within the
coruora'e limits Of the town or city
where the county seat is located when,
according to the last federal census,
more than 1000 inhabitants are con-
tained in such corporate limits"
The question still stares us i'm the
face, can property Of the cities be taxed
when no part of the money Is to be
used within them, and when, as one
writer says, they have already borne
their part here on the Bay by the eX-
penditure of more than $4,000 in
making highways, and this was raised
by taxation, too. This question has
been left out of sight i'm many Of the
communications, but it is an import
ant one, and it is at least possible that
we may, by carrying this proposition,
find ourselves i'm a financial muddle
which will for many years hinder the
construction Of such roads as we ought
to have and cost Us as much as good
roads would if we go about the matter
in a proper manner. Our bonds will
not sell until this matter is settled.
While this matter is fresh in the
minds Of the people, steps should be
taken to procure proper legislation to
enable us to begin properly. The
truth is we are substantially without a
road law i'm this state; that is, it is
loose, unguarded, incomplete and not
well considered. Experiments on so
large scale are dangerous. We can
much better afford to wait year than
to involve ourselves i'm difficulties from
which it will take years Of time aud
much money to extricate ourselves.
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