The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-07-25
Mr.. EDITOR:

4I v
/ noticed in your last issue an ar
ticle signed ''Tax-payers'', in which
they speak about our financial bur-
dens being so heavy in our county
affairs. The questions that are asked
in such an i~nsinuating manner may
have a tendency to mislead some
who are not posted as to the present
administration of county affairs.
First, as to our financial burdens
being so heavy. 1 would state that
I have been informed that Il coun-
tv. s out of debt and has money
in the treasury. We are now paying
IL 1-2 mills, State and county tax,
and one mill ad valorem tax; this
latter goes to make up the necessary
amount of money to work the roads,
and the man that has the largest
amount of property in the county
pays.the largest amount of road tax.
This I consider right, for he has
more hauling over the roads than
the poor man. And we pay n mill
school tax, which goes to make up
| the necessary amount of money to
give us two months more free school
making six months free school in
4 all. All told, IA 1-2 mills.
If there has been any extravaganza
practiced in our district by MI. J.T.
Robson, / have been unable to learn
of it.; but, on the other hand, / have
seen a good deal of economy prac-
fticed.
s'Tax-payers'' say that the public
roads in the northeastern part of the
county are in worse condition now
than they were before the contract
system was adopted. 1 suppose they
mean TIL g roads Mr.. Robson has
supervision over, and the roads Mr..
Water Kimbrough has contracted
to work. I am willing to challenge
them for the proof on that. / am
willing to have twenty-five or fifty
ofthe best citizens living in our dis
trict summoned to give testimony,
andiif the majority of them do not
say that our roads are better than
they were when we worked them
1.-The old way, and that they are will
ing to pay $500 road tax rather than
goback to the old system of working
the 'road-if they do not say this, /
am willing to pay the cost of sum
m6nsing them.
Taxpayers say the draining,
and elevation of low places in the
road, have been neglected. l will
say that if they will look around on
4 the farms in the country they will
find much work that ought to have
been done that has not been done.
MI. Walter Kimbrough is the con-
tractor to work the road in this dis
trict, and I think he has done fairly
well, considering the high price OF
labor and the difficulty in securing
labor at all even at a high price.
i have been informed that Mr..
K~imbrough had worked up to the
first of last month something like
sixty miles of road and had received
9ffrom the county for that amount OF
$4,000. Now, if the work was
mot good the pay was not good, and
1.-THE balance of the road money is in
N~he.treasury to pay for work on our
r~oads.when the work is done.
Vi 1 will say that if we cannot get
our roads put in first class order
with I'll. Robson as supervisor and
Walter Kimbrough as contractor.
do net think we can better ourselves
by making a change in the office OF
supervisor, / am willing to give the
two young men affair trial, and with
present prospects / think we will
come 6ut all right. l am for j. L.
Robson for supervisor for this dis
trict. Respectfully,
w. r. PARNELL.'