Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1901-06-27

tonian appeared the same day with this
knife thrust in the back of the most i'm
portant proposition now before its read
ers, with the sole exception of the
Harbor improvement.
'The people of Aberdeen are very in.
ST. mt that the commissioners proceed
forthwith to build the Aberdeen Monte
sano road. This is echoed constantly by
the HERALD, which appears to find fault
with Commissioners Davis and Smith
because this work is not ordered.
'"The necessity of this road is apparent
to all, and the reason 1t is not built is
because the county's finances are not in
condition to build it. Populisn having
been buried out of sight in Chehalis
county, public work can not be paid for
in wind any longer, and good hard cash
must be shown contractors in order to
get such work done.
Given taking the auditors report at
the close of last year, which has been
proven to have been badly misleading,
there was but $2l03.42 in the road and
bridge fund December 80, 1900. Against
this there were outstanding warrants
amounting to $1,000, and the old board
of commissioners had let bridge con-
tract for 81 ,472, which, with approaches,
will amount to $4,000. Here is about
$2O, 900 OF indebtedness and ~, lob to pay
it. The total amount Of taxes collected
this year on the road and bridge fund
will not exceed $4,000. From this it is
evident that if no road work was ordered
in the county, at the end OF this year we
would still be in debt. But other work
must be done. A bridge has been Or
dered at Grand Forks costing about
81 400. The Oyehut wharf must be re-
built, at cost of some $4,000: the North
river road must be repaired; the Satsop
bridge must be rebuilt and so on all
over the county. The $4,000 road tax
must be expended outside of the pro-
posed road and the only way such road
could be built is to go in debt for it.
Will the people do it? The only way is
to try them and we fear they will
answer no."
Like its contemporary, the Washing
tonian seeks to inject politics into this
matter, and conveys the idea that, in its
estimation, the commissioners were not
elected to give heed to the requests Of
such citizens as might happen to differ
with them in things political. TO this
narrow gauge estimate of the board, the
HERALD hastcns to file exceptions. AL
though not pleased with their action in
this road matter, the HERALD has a
better opinion of this honorable body
than is apparently held by their Wash
ingtonian defender.
Two insinuations, contained in the first
paragraph, are worthy of passing notice,
to show the obliquity of mental vision of
that writer on this subject, if nothing
else. Its beginning is calculated to give
the impression that "the people of Aber-
deem" are alone in their insistence that
this road be built, whereas the truth is
that the petition for its building met
with more enthusiasm in Hoquiam than
it did in this city, and the intimation
bears the earmarks of an effort to aid in
the betrayal of its home town by calling
local prejudice to it's assistance. The
second, that the HERALD appears to find
fault with two of the board, is purposely
misleading. With the personnel of the
board, the HERALD has nothing but re-
spect. With its official action, or, rather,
inaction, in this matter, it has never
subtracted one in expressing the belief
that the board has not paid due courtesy
to the signers of the petition for this
road, and its dissatisfaction at their at
tempt to sit astride the question while
the road building season passes away, to
pretend to awake along in the fall with
regret that it is too late to do anything
this year.
Judas like, the Washingtonian pats
the road proposition on the back while
knitting it, saying: "The necessity of
this road is apparent to ALL" and then
proceeds to demonstrate how impossible
to procure this necessity" on account
OF the multitudes at Grand Forks, Dye
hut, North River and Satsop having the
right of way to the road funds of the
county, probably by reason OF frequent
demands-at least, we know of no other.
After gravely apportioning the road
funds for the year among the localities
named above, the Washingtonian says
the only way to build the Grays Harbor
outlet is to 60 in debt. 1t has not ap-
peared to have dawned upon the mind of
this special pleader against the interests
of its city, that the road to Montesano
might be built with cash, and the i'm
provement of the other localities done
on, what it terms, "wind."
When reduced to first principles, the
road situation on the north side of Grays
Harbor cannot find its duplicate in the
United States. Here we have commu-
mites of over 10000 people, transacting
volume of business that would stand
for a population of 50, 900 on the Atlantic
coast, barred from wagon road connec-
ton with the outside world, for the
simple lack of five or six miles of road,
at the other end of which lies the county
seat. Communities of people who lose
enough time each year to more than
build the road, in waiting for boats and