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

iatum: The first point made is that
"the board has not declined to build the
road, neither can such thing be infer
red from their actions" What are the
facts upon which the Gazette bases this
assertion? Three months, or more, ago
a petition signed by nearly 1000 citizens
of the county, and including all the COM
mercial organizations on Grays Harbor,
asking for the building OF this road dur
ing the present year, was presented to
county commissioners, and to this day
no action is of record in the matter. To
build the road will require considerable
preliminary work, to get ready to let con-
tracts and to comply with the law, and,
if the board has an intention Of building
it, much seasonable time has been lost.
And, judging solely by the inaction OF
the board, we submit that the only rea-
sonable inference possible is that they do
not mean to build it, and the remark Of
the HERALD, that courtesy to the signers
of that petition demands some reply to
their request, is both pertinent and
proper.
The Gazette repeats the objection
those who oppose the road from interest
or otherwise are fond Of urging. That
the condition of the road fund will not
permit the commissioners to build this
road. Just moment ago it was berat-
ing the HERALD for its inference that the
board did not mean to build it; now it
attempts to justify the failure to so in
tend. There is but one way to account
for this style of argument, i. e., that the
writer was preparing mental food for an
exceedingly low standard ofintelligence.
Regarding the financial inability to
make this improvement, the HERALD
has long ago published the status of the
road fund. and. in no uncertain words,
denounced the action of the previous
board that left it $40, 1000 overdrawn, and
with signed contract for $1,000 bridge
in addition. But, it is also pointed out
that the present board was not justified
in placing the entire burden of the errors
OF their predecessors upon the 10000
people living on the north side of the
Chehalis river and Grays Harbor, who
are totally without wagon road connec-
ton with the outside world; that this
board was not under obligation to sacri-
flee the road interests of the county to
desire to retire all outstanding road fund
warrants in one year, and that the mat
ter was simple business proposition, a
matter of dollars and cents. Bids were
in the hands of the board offering to
build this road for trife less than $4,000.
The interest on this amount would be
$640. The only matter to determine was,
is the road giving an outlet to two-thirds
the population, and four-fifths of the
taxable wealth Of the county of sufficient
Importance to justify the expenditure Of
$64O in interest, or had those people bet
ter wait until all other road necessities
in the county are attended to, and the
road fund out of debt? The signers OF
the petition expressed themselves upon
those points, and, at the risk OF being
charged with reiteration, we repeat,
those petitioners have RIGHT to know
the reasons of the board, should that
body, in it's judgment take different
view.
Whatever the political views of the
editor of this paper may be, the HERALD
is too we'll known to require any notice
of the insinuation that politics is behind
the movement for this road. The pres.
ent editor of the HERALD has advocated
the building of this connecting link with
civilization ever since he took up his
residence on the Harbor, and two years
ago succeeded in securing the survey and
calls for bids for the work. That the
road is not now in use, cannot be at.
tributed to any lack of endeavor on the
part Of this paper or its editor, and the
attempt OF the Gazette to impute politics
to the HERALD in this matter is but in
keeping with the illogical tenor of its
entire article. An article that begins
with denial OF an intent on the part Of
the commissioners to avoid building the
road, and concludes with labored argu-
ment in defense OF that very intent.
As if in concert with the Gazette, to
misrepresent Hoqniam. the Washing