The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-01-16


ernment or the government of
any of the states. The beneficial
results that spring from such d
cooperative method of building
permanent highways have been
we'll illustrated by the states Of
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and
New York. In each OF these
states general road fund is pro
vided by taxing all the property
in the entire state, both city and
country.
The fund SO raised is contrib
uted to very largely by those
who, under the heretofore pre-
vaillng plan. would not pay any
thing for such purposes. In the
state of New York, nearly 80 per
cent of the state tax. and cOnSe-
qsently of the road fund, is paid
by people living in great cities,
and by the corporations of the
state, SO that only about ten per
cent of the state road fund is
paid by the owners of property
in the rural districts, although
by provision of the law one
half of the cost of each and every
improved highway is paid for
out of this general fund, the re-
manning half being paid by the
county, fifteen per cent Of which
may be taxed against the prop
erty abutting upon the improved
road. In the twelfth section Of
the bill is d provisO that moth
ing herein shall be construed to
prevent any state or political
subdivision thereof from disturb
ing the said one half, SO that the
state may bear Il portion, the
county a portion, and the owner
abutting on the said road anOth-
er portion.
Ine bill under consideration
seeks to extend the principles of
cooperation to a still greater ex
tent, and to bring in the United
States government as q cooper
ating factor to contribute its
quota out Of fund that is still
more general than any state fund
could be, and TO which all the
people contribute more OF less.
If it is wise and equitable and
, beneficial for the state of New
York to raise general fund. out
of which a portion Of the cost of
constructing the highways Is to
! be paid, it would seem be just lbs
equitable and beneficial for the
United States government, hav
ing already raised the general
fund. to contribute a portion to-
ward the cost of constructing
permanent highways in each and
every state. Appropriations made
by congress for the river and
harbor bill aggregate in the
whole something over $40, OOO.-
| 900. and the last annual river and
harbor bill appropriated an am
cunt nearly equal to 81 per cap
ita for all the people in the Unit
ed States, for the single purpose
of fcheapening transportation over
water by deepening the water in
the river and HORRORS. whereas
the entire appropriation annual
ly by any state for all state pur
poses seldom exceeds 81 per
capita, and is generally less. If
it is a good policy TO appropri-
ate so literally in the river and
harbor bill, which no one seems
to doubt, it may be just as good
policy to contribute with equal
liberality to cheaper transporta-
ton over land. and especially
when it is considered that for
every dollar contributed by the
United States. at least an equal
amount must be contributed by
the various state and subdivis
ions to supplement that fund.
which is not the case in the river
and harbor bill.
Another reason for this course
will be found in the fact that
nearly all great appropriations
made by the United States gov
ernment are expended in or near
great cities, while but little, and
generally nothing, is expended
in the rural districts to benefit
the inhabitants thereof. The
great river and harbor improve
( mnntS and the great public