The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-01-04
HON. ]. F. RYAN
Letter From The eX.SpCafer lis
Bill For Reducing Taxes.
The Public SehOOs-hs Is Opposed TO state
Appropriations For Public Roads.
Arcola. Va. Jan. 1st, 1906.

/
TO The Free Lance.
Commenting editorially upon an inter
view published in the Tlmes-Dispatch, n
which expressed the hope that he Leg
islature would enact law similar To a
bill passed through the Howse by mt
during the last session. which reduced
State taxes one-fourth, you say that
Won favor the reduction OF taxation
when such reduction il practicable, but
doubt the wisdom OF reducing taxes until
the schools and roads have been pro.
vided for. The bin 10 which ! referred
made no reduction In tn" school tax, nor
would it have prevented the annual ap
preparation of 100000 now pad to
the public schools ont of the general tax
| fund. My experience with Legislation
cOnvinces me that unless taxes arr t.
duced at the coming session OF the Leg
| islature the surplus now in the treasury
will soon disappear. The State has
dealt literally with the public schools,
and will continue TO do SO, notwltll-
standing the burden il unequally borne.
Loudoun county is assessed Tor State
school purposes 81 5,Oj2 -, aud receives
from the State Tor her schools 81, 1920.
BY way Of comparison ! note that one
county In the State, with less than "A fifth
more population than LOudOun, Is as
sessed for schoO! purposes q, 3j6 stand
receives from the State for her schools
$13,495.7G.
have not included the capitation tax
for either county. here are number
Of counties in the State that pay and re-
ceiye in about the same proportion ~
the two counties Inferred to.
Admitting it j. to the interest OF all OF
the people OF the State that the children
of the State should be educated, that
cannot be true a. to road-making And
when the State engages in the business
Of taxing her citizens 10 work the public
roads. the cities and weather. counties
will have 10 foot the bill, though the
burden will be equally oppressive To the
taxpayers Of the poorer counties. BE
fore the war the Legislature OF Virginia
engaged in the business OF building rail
roads and turnpikes What is the result
The taxpayers OF Nightmare struggling
To pay the interest on the debt contract
ed bY them, and generations yet unborn
will continue 10 bearthe burden. One OF
the wise provisions OF the Underwood
Constitution was that "the State should
not become interested in any work Of
internal improvement. II HE Legislature
departs from what has, heretofore, been
the policy of the State and apprOpriates
money for hepublic roads, believe that
it will eventually lead 10 bankruptcy.
append part ola speech made IN Rich
mond few years ago, in Which an esti-
mate Of the cost Of road-makiug is made
multiply by the number of miles OF
roads in the State.
Nv. IL Moore, president Of the National
Good Roads Association, was the next
speaker.
The road question must be- considered
as a local proposition. He said that
scarcely any OF the delegates of the con
vention have appealed to their represen-
tatiyes for improvements OF the roads.
He said that the speaker of the
house Of representatives would not
continue in his present position u
he acts again n he did yesterday
in helping 10 defeat the good roads bill.
This remark brought forth applause.
lie asked the delegates OF the convention
il they were going back 10 their homes
To content themselves with sitting m the
mud He urged them To organize here
and resolve % DO all they could for bet
ter highways throughout the state.
Mr.. Moore said that there are three
kinds of roads that he wants To deal
with; the first being the common earth
road. which can be built at cost OF
from $3.50 TO $500 a mile; the second Is
the gravel road, which costs up To 500
a mile The other is the macadam, which
can be made costing up 10 $1,000 OF
more. He said that it would not cost
more than three cents an acre year to
carry on the good roads work.
j. F. Ryan.