The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-08-16
ADVANTAGE OF A ROAD TAX.

/ At the next general election
there will be submitted to the vot-
ers of Arkansas two proposed
amendments to the State Constitu-
ton. Amendment No. 3 empowers
quorum courts, when they deem it
advisable, to levy a three mill tax
'to be used for the purpose of
making and repairing public roads
building court houses, jails, bridges
and other internal improvements "
Amendment No 4 provides that
"the governor shall, in case a va
cancy occurs in any State, district,
county or township Office in the
State, either by death resignation
or otherwise, fill the same by APP
pointment, such appointment to be
IN force and effect until the next
general election thereafter.
1t is scarcely worth while for me
to direct attention to the advan-
tages of amendment No, 4; las
sumo that it will commend itself to
every thoughtful voter as an econ
imical, safe and convenient method
of filling vacancies. fear, howev-
er, that the mere suggestion of a
tax as provided for in Amendment
No. 3 will arouse distrust among
those who do not stop to investi-
gate. | therefore desire to call at
tention to a few of the many bene-
fits that will come to us through
the operation of this amendment,
and urge its favorable considera-
tlon by voters.
Q) While believe every person
ought to work the five days as now
provided by law, l think it unjust
that the greater portion of the
burden of keeping up our public
highways should fall upon those
who hold no real property, when
the principal benefit is derived by
owners of real estate.
(2 Five days work as it now is
will not put the roads in good con-
dltion. The adoption Of Amend
ment No. 3 will force real estate to
pay it's just proportion toward
keeping up the roads and bridg-
es.
@) 1t would provide employment
for county convicts, because the
county judge could hire convicts to
the road commissioner. In case
there were not enough convicts to
justify working them, they might
be hired to the commissioner of an
adjoining county 1t is well known
that county convicts can be worked
on public roads with greater salts
faction, less competition with honest
labor and more profit than at any
other work.
(D If counties that are in debt
with their scrip worth only fifty
cents on the dollar, do not want to
work the road with the three mills
tax, they may, under the provisions
Of the amendment, levy the tax for
bridge purposes alone. AS the tax
is collected in currency and would
enable them to pay for their work
in cash, the saving would be at least
fifty per cent, on each bridge built
or repaired.
(5) There are a number of coun-
ties in the State that have built,
and several that intend building,
new court houses and jails In the
counties where such improvements
have been made the value of scrip
is greatly deprecated, and the same
result will follow the erection Of
buildings in other counties. Such
counties may levy the tax and APP
ply it to the payment of the i'm
provement debt, thus saving thous-
ands of dollars.
(6) This tax will compel nom
residents to pay their just proper
ton toward maintaining public
roads and keeping up other i'm
Notwithstanding they do not
at present In this county-and |
presume the per cent is not much
lower in other Commissioner half
the property is owned by non-resi-
dents. These people do not pay a
penny of road tax, and never will UNI
less amendment No, 3 or something
similar is adopted The railroads
under the present system contrib
ute nothing toward keeping up the
roads over which the people must
haul their products and then pay
the railroads a good round price for
conveying them to market,
ca The county court has power
to levy or not levy as it sees proper,
| ,,.1 &c +ha ,,ao,,la of NM, co,,o+y do