The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1903-03-12
About Pixies.

~ ~ lhup We VIII uii SSV uS hNSh
information on the subject before
voting for or against the PROPOSE
tion, as possible.
To the man that is against
pixies and in favor of mud roads,
we have very little to say. He is
a dead one. He would not have
ambition enough to build a pig
pen if the old one would not hold
pigs. He would not enjoy new
roads, or a new hat, nor bath.
But to the man that is in favor
of pixies, but differs from us as to
the best way to raise the money to
build same, we honor him and
have much to say to him in the
honest discussion of the many
phases of the proposition, and our
paper is open to him for his ideas
as to what is the best to do.
There are only four ways of
building free turn pixies in coun-
ty in OHIO. The old way to levy
a two-mile. assessment on the farms
abutting the pixies. This system
is obsolete and never used any
more. 1t is not practical, because
the man just beyond the limits of
the assessment has the use of the
pixies and pays nothing for them
Another plan is for all township
trustees to get together and con.
solidate township bonds and build
This is a last resort and almost
an impossibility.
Another plan is to make direct
levy and pay all down as the roads
are built, and the fourth plan is
to issue bonds for sufficient
amount and build the roads. These
last propositions we will discuss.
Hooking county has an apprais-
ment of So, 100000 on her tax
, duplicate. She proposes to raise
$55, 100000 per year on direct levy
for road building. One per cent
increase on taxes will raise the
money. A man has a farm ap-
praised at $25OO.00 upon which he
is paying taxes of 20 mills or 3 per
cent, about the average township
levy in Hooking county. His
taxes are $4,000 per year at pre-
sent, The direct levy Of one per
cent or 10 mills is added to his
taxes to raise the $55, 100000 for
pixies. He is already paying 2 per
cent and if you raise him l per
cent more, you make his taxes 3
per cent or $3.50 tax each year
The $55, 100000 is raised and they
build 20 miles of pike. 1t may &c
in an opposite direction from his
home, but he patiently waits
Next year he pays $25, 90 addition,
al to his taxes again, and 90 miles
more of pixies are built. 1t goes
in another part of the county that
he never drives over, but he waits.
The third year he comes up with
his $4,000 extra again and 20 more
miles are built in another part OF
the county, and he waits. He
pays a fourth year and fifth, and
Il sixth, and then the pike is built
his way the sixth year, for on this
plan somebody must be last. He
has paid one half more taxes five
years and had mo roads. At the
end of the sixth year he has pixies
and has them paid for. He has
had to work hard at his age to
pay his eXtortionate taxes and now
there comes on another generation
to enjoy his hard work. The
young fellows of the next genera
ton drive over the roads and en-
Joy themselves and don't have to
pay a cent. The work is all done
and paid for by the hard labor of
the business men and farmers of
today. New factories come in
and new houses go up, with the
probability of long distant electric
car lines, but their taxes are easy !;
the $500, 100000 worth of roads are
built and paid for and they can
enjoy them free as the air.
Now what of the proposition of
bonds. Hooking county has $5,-
$500, 900 on her tax duplicate. We
borrow 800, 100000 to build pixies.
I'VE sell the bonds at $50 inter
est, and get down 5% or $5O0O.OO
The interest the first
year is paid by the premium. The