The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-04-26

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oTHeRS THOUGHTS Is
EM -; @ I: Nm; aKa
Editor d the PloSEER:
The question OF Road Making, +
suppose is open to argument.
That good roads are needed, or inn
provsments be made on the present
laid out roads, need not be questioned;
but the method to obtain them pros
posed By the shevlin Graphic will
bear investig alton.
4 From farmers standpoint the
bait offered to get the farmers to vote
la perpetual bonded Indebtedness on
themselves, may Be enticing 10 some,
but I think the majority after duly
considering the matter would decide
against it, 81
The crying need Of the county, q
spoken of BY the Graphic is only
heard in the villages Of the county, In
some country store, or some farmer
who wants the community in which he
lives to provide him q fat job.
a bonded Indebtedness is luxury
that the people Of q township can
hardly afford, especially in q new
country. #
Who is to be benefited by this I'M
debtedness? Surely not the farmer!
Those who are interested in his vel
fare would hardly advise him TO vote
a 5000 tax on the township in which
he lives, just to saddle 9 debt on
others who settle here later.
That part Of the argument produced
by the Graphic IS fake and appears
to me to be written in the interest Of
the pine ring who wish to have all
public improvements made by bond
ing the townships or school districts
SO they the pine owners will have
time to cut their pine and get rid of
helping pay off the bonds.
AS 10 voting bonds on the several
townships OF this county being an in
ducement for people to settle here,
the idea is simple preposterous.
Let It become generally known that
every township Of this county was
bonded for $4,000, settlers would shun
this part OF the country more than It
twas infested with small pox.
As to building roads to help settle
up the country, the question is absurd
as the land is being taken upas rapid
" now as required for a good, healthy
development.
The townships are paying all the
tax allowed them by law for road and
bridge purposes (5 mills on the
dollar and the settlers are making no
complaint, but would willingly vote
more If they could.
The average rate OF taxation ac-
cording to Auditor Dunn for 1899 was
|21.s9 mills. only mills Of this
amount is available for roads and
bridges.
The villages were exempt from all
tayes according to his statement.
Let us look into the matter closely,
take the village Of Bemidii for in
stance.
The assessed valuation OF the vii
lage for 1898 was something over ST., :
600, and paid no taxes for road and
bridge purposes. The assessed valu-
ton of the township outside of the
village limits was about $1,000, and
the taxes levied were not sufficient to
meet the amount expended on the roads
during the year, but there has been no
complaint made by the tax payers OF
the township.
They knew what they were doing
when they voted the tax and tbereason
they voted themselves apart from the
village, was because the village was
not helping to keep up the road and
bridges.
III the villages are to be made pets
OF andbe exempt from taxa alton, it looks
strange for them to occupy the
mourner's bench on the question of
good roads. The majority OF the
farmers in this county have but small
patches cleared up and do not raise
grain and vegetables enough to bear
their expenses, let alone being bur
dened with hauling it TO market.
Al great many depend on working in
the woods, on the drive and in the