The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-07
RAPS THE COMMISSIONERS.
Rossville Editor Says Things and
Makes Pertinent Insinuationa

The Shawnee County News, published
at Rossville. has started fight on the
county commissioners on account of
the boards policy not to rebuild the
Kansas river bridges at once. In many
farming communities in the county the
action of the commissioners does not
meet with approval The Shawnee
County News says:
The county commissioners have at
last reached the high tax "bugaboo" in
the bridge affair.
Shortly after the high water of the
June flood had subsidized we were told
that the matter of rebuilding the
bridges would be taken up at once and
the Rossville bridge would be one of
the first to be rebuilt as they deemed
1t to be one of the most important in
the county. Later on a delegation from
this township waited on the commits
sioners and asked them to do something
besides talk On this occasion they said
it would be necessary to recover the
wrecked bridges first and advertise
ments were accordingly inserted for bids
to do the work. Thirty days elapsed
and the bids were opened and all were
turned down. Then it was decided to
advertise for bids for the actual re-
building, allowing the companies to use
such of the old material as they could
in reconstruction. This pacifled the
people for several weeks but noticing
that the advertisements were not forth
commissioners said they would have to
wait until the river subsidized somewhat
in order that new soundings might be
made.
We patiently waited until a snipe
could touch bottom almost any place
in the river and then asked what 1t
was that hindered the proceedings 1t
was then they promptly lodged behind
the mo money, high tax" proposition
They cited the Kansas avenue bridge
a rlxinQ that the orig
inal cost of this structure was $ls0,0VO
but that interest on the bonds had dou-
bled that amount.
The honorable board may fool some
of the people by this argument but the
citizens up here know that it is mere
" subterfuge. We are aware that one
of the biggest banking institutions IN
Topeka made proposition to the board
that if they would rebuild the river
bridges and pay for them in script that
their institution would guarantee that
such script would be taken care OF Dy
the banks of Topeka at its face value.
If the board was actually looking Tor a
plan to rebuild why did they not &C
cent? 1t is claimed they will have the
money next fall with which to build
two bridges and in two years they can
build the remainder. Judging by thelr
naneuvers in the past three months IN
the bridge business, if the rebuilding
was to begin at once it would take them
until next fall or probably longer before
they would be completed, in which case
they would only have to pay the inter-
est on two bridges for one year.
But then. as one of the commission
ers aptly CO remarked, I'VE did with
out these bridges for 40 years." True.
There was also a time when we got
along with wooden moleboards on ploWs
and cut our wheat with hand-s1ckle,
but we don't do it now, Willie. NO. no!
Times have changed. We are living IN
an enlightened era surrounded by the
conveniences of modern ingenuity and
we insist that we are entitled 70 ENJOY
to the right and left of u.s.
1t is passing strange that a man SO
shrewd as to accumulate $4,000 in two
years on a salary of 5000 (as is alleged)
cannot devise ways and means TO re-
move a handicap that is causing so
much criticism among his constituents.