Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-03-22


the handling of from 81 900 to So, 900 a
year. You ask them What was done
with the money!" and they can't tell
you They get their pay and are sure
to have good big bill, for they have
plenty of time and two dollars a day
reats staying at home. OF course, 1t is
hard on their intellect to meet some
where in the town and let five or ten
dollar job and then meet again to %.
cept it.
In the second place, it seems as if our
county had gone crazy over iron bridges.
1t was thought six or seven years ago
that we had got about through with
iron bridges, but there is no let mp to
them It is getting worse all the time;
$21, TAI. .26 spent in the county last year
and as much or more the year before.
1t is no trick at all to find places to build
iron bridges, and it will be kept up until
the day of Judgment If some one don't
get after the county board. The law is
plain in regard to towns getting county
aid for building bridges: Each bridge
shall cost to exceed one-eighth of one
per cent. of all taxable property in the
town according to it's last equalized val
uation." The towns have been in the
habit of punching up number OF small
bridges so as to bring the amount mp to
one. eighth of one per cent. and drawing
the county aid which they have no right
to do ! see that last fall they were not
particular about the amount coming to
one-eighth of one per cent One town
that is valued at $6Gt, 776 got one hun
dred and thirty dollars county aid for
bridges. You will see that they must
have spent about one twenty -htth OF one
per cent Now if the county board has
any right to do that kind ct business
they can do anything they wish, so
will give them q little advice If their
heads are not over crowded with know
ledge already. / should wipe ont the
town bridges and make them all county
bridges and then appoint committee OF
two and hire a good civil engineer for
the third one and then let the bridges
all in one big job lot and get them for
less than half what they cost now. Ii
couldn't / would put up plant and
manufacture my own bridges, and then
that three hundred and thirty-six dol
lars that was paid out to special bridge
committees, could be used for some other
purpoee. But if you have no right to
give county aid only where they have
complied with the strict letter OF the law
| don't see why any tax payer can COM
nence suit aga. nst such towns ana re-
cover such money. think there is too
much 'You help me and will help you,
right or wrong, about this county AID
business.
Then we have another young elephant
growing on our hands In the shape OF
gravel or crushed rock for the highways
which is all right If it is used rightly
hut it will be abused the same as the
bridge business by letting men have the
handling of it who are not competent
for such work, | think the most OF the
towns need aid to get the rock out OF the
roads instead of into them. Then here
comes the famous omnibus" appropri-
alton! It wasn't quite so rotten the way
| il used to be when they gave each town
one hundred dollars and each incorpor-
ated village fifty dollars that had not re-
ceived any bridge appropriation. NOW
/ it is one hundred dollars to eacn town
/ and each village; it makes no difference
| how much any OF them nave receives
1 for bridges and throwing rock into the
1 road. II is all right for about half oi
i tbe number; that is, If they are not par
H ticular about showing the pork. TheI
h tbe other half-God help theml | sup
Il nose some of them go home and brag tC
II their constituents what haul they go
y for their town and, probably, get elected
\ the next spring on the strength OF it,
/ don't suppose any of them stop to thinl
that they are paying all the way from
! one hundred and six dollars mp TO IL,
4 hundred and fifty and getting one hun
dred back Now my objection to to-
\ nnch of this county aid business is this
/ It makes some of the towns extra7agant
who cares for expenses The count,
has TO nav half of it. You or any OF tn
rest of us would wear a dollar hat In
! etead of fifty-cent one IL we though
eomebody else had to pay for half OF II
even if the fifty cent one covered on
fool heads the better
Now. Mr.. County Board, don't fee
toward You the way the man fron
<sHard Scrabble" does in regard TO you
. going TO the asylum and poor house an
Getting couple Of good square meals
n is an event that any citizen OF tn
eonntv ought to be proud OF If they coul
onIv he there and see the busse5 backe
nm to the Hotel Fortney, and see ia
members march out from the hotel wit
"two-fers" in their mouths. (Of cours
travelling men and strangers think the
hoard there They ought to get a.
/ @nainted at the asylum and poor farm
and so ought the rest Of US for we WI
ell be at one or the other Of those plac'
II there ia not q change for the BETTE
= Rut / do think the county seat Ia u
close home 70 charge for Sundays an
Z Solidays. and for days that they happ'
j sr he away attending TO their own pi
/ rate affairs. OF coulse il is not mu'
for the county, but it looks awful big
+ a moor cuss who has to husk corn
] ssventy.five cents 8 day. Now keep tn
e / x.til we meet again; it will keep Wit
d oxt ice. should be glad 70 have any
uorl call and see me, or write, bat dol
p eel me Up by phone. You will find I
n On the ridge any day about noon
. sovae Of the neighbors. | VIII cio
Ie hoving you are as hard up a. am.
~ A DIsGUsTED Moss BACK
tPu-pkin Ridge. March 18th