Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1897-12-02
Free Pixies.
WILL BE A DEAR LUXURY
TO TAXPAYERS
ICOurirr-J OlIrnnI.l


subsidized with the victory of the
raiders. In many counties the
owners of the gate rights have been
30 inundated that they have sur.
rendered their property without
compensation, as in Jessdmine: in
others the roads have been wholly or
partially contiscated, and in still
others, as in Bourbon, n satisfactory
compromise has been made between
the people and the proprietors of the
franchises. In one way and in AN
other nearly all the turnpikes are
free, and the people have the OPP
portunity now to speculate upon
the result.
Already it can be seen that the
problem is by no means solved. The
consequences which were pointed
out by the Couricr-Journal wear
ago when the raids began are now
impending and inevitable. The
burden of maintaining the pixies
has been shifted from the actual
users who paid the tolls to all the
property holders of the county and
State, many of whom have no di-
rect interest in the matter. What
this will mean we can see in the
miserable mudways that we find
outside of the turnpike sections.
Unless there il IA great deal more
public spirit in the Bluegrass than
we find elsewhere in Kentucky. the
splendid system of roads which has
So long been the boast of this ia
vored region will rapidly degener-
ate into dirt tracks and mud wal
/ lows.
How this will come about is
shown clearly by the following in
terview with Nicholasville man
who has given the matter some
valuable consideration:
1.-The trouble with free pixies as they
exist now is that. while every county
that has voted on the free-pike ques-
ton has voted Yes there are but
very few in which the bond issue has
not been defeated. So. of the coun-
ties that have free pixies, about nine
tenths of them are simply leasing the
roads for yearly periods. The law
provides for no pOll-taX for the ben
eft of the roads like it does in all
other States where they have free
roads, but simply permits the ad val
orem tax of twenty-five cents on the
300. There are two great faults that
people find with this law. First, it
throws the burden of maintaining
the roads on the property-owners !;
second, it does not raise "a sufficient
revenue by many hundred dollars to
lease or to buy and maintain the
roads. Take this county as an exam
pie, and what is true of il in gener-
al way is true of the others. There
are liS miles of turnpike that cost on
an average $1,000 per mile to build.
Say the county can buy it for $500 per
mile, which is less than one-third of
what the owners ask for it, and does
not include bridges, toll-hOuses, etc.
That would make the roads cost
$50, 900 and the bridges, etc, would
make IL total of SEQ, 000-lcSs than one
sixth of what they originally cost,
and less than one-third of what the
owners ask for them. Should the
bond question carry, 1t would be nee
essay for the county to issue bonds
for sG0,OO. Since the action of the
raiders it would, so il is claimed,i he
a hard matter to sell bonds at any
price, but admitting the county could
borrow the money at per cent. tdat
would he an annual interest of y ,i0'.
1t is estimated that it requires from
80 to : $50 per mile per year 10 MAIN
tain and keep the pike i'll condition.
Take the lowest Egures-s5,l-thCn to
keep the lGS miles in condition il
would require SS,iOO per year. Add
the interest on the bonds to the cost
of maintaining the pixies, and there
is Il total of $1,000 per year, which
does not include the salary of Road
commissioners. Now, as to the re-
sources with which this amount can
he paid. An assessment of twenty
five cents-the linton the 500
would net Sl0,500 per year. Thus, in
stead of paying any of the principal,
the county would actually lose three
hundred dollars per year. AS the
bonds, under the law, have to be paid
in forty years, it is impossible to see
how the county can keep up the in
terest, much less pay any of the
principal or build any new pixies"
This gentleman realizes what
the Courier-Journal has said all
the time, and which was so salts
factorily established in at least one
county, that the toll system was
wisely endured as the least of many
evils. This was in Shelby, which has
about 400 miles of pike, more than
any other county in the State. The
movement to free the roads was
begun there, but a demonstration
that taxation would be insufficient
to buy or maintain them after they
were bought was so complete that
the agitation was wisely stopped.
the people being also too law, abid-
ing to permit raids.
Men who were determined to have
free turnpikes by fair means or foul
must realize now that they can not
eat their cake and have it. The
roads can be cOnfiscated or bought
at nominal figures, but the tax for
their support. as fixed by the pres
ent law, will not pay for the recon-
struction and repairs of the turn
pixies alone, to say nothing of the
dirt roads which should be macad-
amized and kept in good condition.
Under the toll gate system the gen.
eral public had no concern in the
the taxes being paid by the
people who used the pixies. Acting
under the influence of demagogues
the counties have pulled the chest
nuts out of the fire for the people
dwelling along the pixies and who
monopolize nearly all their benefits.
The State has been disgraced and
the credit of the counties involved
has been ruined by the raids; an
income of $4,000 year has been
lost to the public treasury; and now
the burden of maintaining the
roads must be shared by every
holder or else they must
be allowed to go to destruction. The