Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-24
Discussing THE BONDS
Arguments Pro and Con Upon
the Question of Bonding
the County
Frank Wilkeson Wields His
Caustic Pen Against the
Proposition
Mr.. Donovan Contributes An
other Communication Fa-
voring the Bonds

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
SIR; is not the call Of the county com.
missioners to the electors of Whatcom
county to gather at the polls on March
9TH to vote for or against issuing
100000 worth Of per cent. bonds, by
the sale Of which to obtain money Ia
4 build roads and bridges, somewhat
misleading? What is the primary use
to which this money is to be put!
Should not the call have stated that
certain Bellingham bay banks were in
a very shaky financial condition,
owing to the exceedingly peculiar
manner IN which they We're capital
lied, and that the money obtained for
the alleged road bonds, if they carry
and if they do the majority of What
promptly placed i'm the state institu-
| ton at SteilaCoOm-was to be used to
bolster these tottering banks, and then
| loaned by the eminent tinancers i'm
| charge of those institutions to the peo-
pie at high rates Of interest during the
period Of preliminary survey and pre-
paratory work before the real constTuc-
ton Of roads is undertaken? ] am told
that the call to the polls should have
stated that such was the necessity of
the banks, and that such is the prob
able primary disposition to be made Of
this money 1t is true that the people
of WhatcOm county are hard up, that
flft of al.
ful financial straits, and that there is
no prospect Of their clamberng out Of
the financial slough in the near future.
But it is also true that we cannot yet
out Of our difficulties by laying a
blanket mortgage on all OF our property
and then lOanlng the money we re-
ceive for the sale Of the bonds to our
selves at high interest TO be paid to
some bank, nor will il better matters
to eXpend the sum in road building.
The interest money that we will be
called upon to pay annually would !
very nearly buy every pound Of sur |
plus agricultural produce that is raised |
in Whatcom county on land remote /
from the established roads and natural |
water highways.
Under this call, most unwise and un- /
called for proposition, the county COM /
mlssiOners can offer the whole issue |
for sale at once, and if the bids come .
up to par they can sell them. The |
call does not state when the roads are .
10 be commenced. The money can re-
main i'm such banks as need il, or as
the commissioners see fit in their wis
dom TO select, until they decide to
eXpend it. That it will draw interest
during time of deposit is certain. May
! ask who is to enjoy that interest? Is
there any lawful method by which we,
who have to pay these bonds if they
carry, can force the county commits
sioners to draw it from deposit, where
it will earn interest, and expend it to
build roads and bridges? Or have we
to wait patiently and trustfully until
they digest alleged plans and make
slow, ialtering, time-killing survey of
severa dred miles of forest?
We assured that the county
cOmmiss lers are dead honest, highly
public spirited and keen business men.
/ never heard the personal honesty Of
any Of these gentlemen questioned.
But honest or dishonest, there is no
necessity to trust them in this matter.
l should not trust them in "A matter of
personal business. What they could
Wv anu WlltAJ llltN SliOuHl uDJ 90, ]
would be clearly stated i'm the agree
ment, and ! would give bonds to them
or they would give bonds to me, and
coilectible bonds, too, for the faithful
performance of the agreements. That
is how men transact personal business.
But we, the voters Of Whatcom
county, are brazenly asked to vote
100000 to be expended on roads and /
bridges when and how our county
commissioners see fit. Time is not an
essence of this agreement. All Is to be
trusted to the commissioners. We
vote the bonds, they do the rest, and
am mighty anxious to know Just
what is embraced in the term, "they
do the rest" A portion of the money
with which to pay these bonds, if they
carry, will be drawn from my pocket.
| object to paying money till know
how, by whom and when it is to be
and on behalf Of the salt Of
the earth, j. e. the kickers, ! vOcifer-
ously protest against this proposed
issue Of road bonds.
| venture, in all kindness to eminent
tinanciers whose power and glory has
to call to the memory of
Fairhaven's inhabitants a recent ex-
perience we had in the matter Of bonds
iYued on the plan, 'you vote for the
bonds and we will do the rest.U The
electors of Fairhaven were called to the
polls to vote for or against the PROPOSE
ton to issue bonds for sewers, general
fund and street purposes. The price
below which these bonds should not be
sold was not stated in the cal. And
just how the money was to be applied
was not stated We were assured that
we could safely trust all these matters
to the public spirited business men into
whose hands our municipal affairs had
been placed. II closely approached
high treason to doubt the ability or the
public business effectiveness Of the high