The record-union., 1897-11-24
LIKE A TWO-EDGED SWORD.
A DANGEROUS PRINCIPLE ON
WHICH TO ACT.
IF Adhered to, the Southern End
Of the County Would
Suffer.

State Highway Commissioner fAshe
was in the city yesterday. de reports
that in country districts outside OF that
through which the Folsom and Sacra-
mento highway runs, considerable op-
position to bonding the county for the
purpose of constructing the proposed
macadamized road is manifested.
The opponents of the measure, Mr..
Ashe said. insist that funds for the
construction of road in any particu-
lar road district ought to be raised by
a direct tax on the property of that dis
trict and not by bonding that and all
other districts in the county to RAISE
the necessary amount.
.gThese people, said Commissioner
Ashe to a Record Union" reporter, do
not understand that it will be an utter
impossibility to build the road by a
direct tax on the property in the dis
tr.ict through which the road extends,
but such is the case The assessed
value Of property in the district is less
than $1,000 600, and the law provides
that property cannot be taxed for road
nu,-poses in excess of 40 cents on the
$780,
"Supposing there be $7,000.OO worth
of assessed property in the district, only
SOS. 900 could be raised by a direct tax,
and as the Folsom macadamized road
will, under the law, have to be COM
pleted by the time the Legislature
meets in January, 1899, it can be read
lily understood why the district, without
the assistance Of the rest OF the coun-
ty, would be unable to construct 1t.
And then, if all their funds were to be
expended. there would be nothing left
for other roads in the district.
s.In answer to those who persist in
saying it is illegal to issue county bonds
for road purposes, / would simply re-
fer them to Section IS of Article NI.
of the Constitution of the State, as
amended November S. 1892, which
reads as follows:
Section 1S-No county, city, town,
township, Board of Education or school
district shall incur any Indebtedness or
liability in any manner, or for any
purpose, exceeding in any year the IN
come and revenue provided for 1t for
such year. without the assent Of two
thirds of the qualified electors thereof,
voting at an election to be held for that
purpose: nor unless, before or at the
time of incurring such Indebtedness,
provision shall be made for the col
lection of an annual tax suff1clent to
pay the interest on such Indebtedness
as it fails due and also provision to
constitute a sinking fund for the pay
ment of the principal thereof on or
before maturity, which shall not exceed
forty years from the time of contract
ing the same. Any Indebtedness or la
bility incurred contrary to this provi-
sion shall be void
Now" continued the Commissioner,
IF that section does not mean that
a county may issue bonds such as are
necessary to create funds for the con-
struction of the Folsom road, it doesn't
mean anything.
Then again the statute governing
the case is emphatic, and cannot be
misunderstood. 1t says clearly that
the Board of Supervisors in the sew
eral counties shall have no power TO
create debt in any road district in ex-
cess of the estimated amount of re-
ceipts for the said district for the cur
rent year which would at once do
away with the idea that the Fourth
Supervisor District can raise funds for
constructing the road without outside
help
Commissioner Ashe feels certain,
however, that when the proposition
shall have been explained many of
those who now oppose it will give it
their candid support.