The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-11-26
COLONEL MANN
FAVORSBONDS
fIorida's Leading Good Roads
Advocate Reviews Question
A PROFITABLE METHOD
Increased Values Will Pay Total Cost of
Interest and Sinking Fund and Add
Revenue to Every County Fund

The Jensen Board of Trade has en-
deavored to have Col. A. S. Mann, pres
ident of the Good Roads Association,
address the people of st. Lucie county.
The following letter explains itself:
Jacks, nvile, Fla, Nov. 20, 1869.
The Jensen Board of Trade, Jensen,
Fla, j. X, Williams, d., Secretary.
Dear Colonel:
Yours of the 10th just received The
reason | cannot see my way clear to
come is that shall be in the woods,
having sold some $4,000 acres of land
beginning about twelve miles of Jack
sOnville and extending south beyond
Middleburg, on Black River, and the
parties are due here from the West on
Monday. If they are delayed can and
will wire you to that effect, and will
come. will write the articles spoken
Of, and hope they will help you as much
as if came. 1t seems queer that in
this the twentieth century, any portion
of our people should oppose good roads,
and il we agree that we must have
them, the increased values will meet
the expense. Those who settle up our
country get the advantage, for which
they are willing to pay, and two and
three dollar an acre land few years
ago along our rock roads is today sell
ling readily at from 500 to $500 and
$46O an acre. No man worth having
cares to settle on place where the
sand is deep or make-shift road Such
roads have had their day, and the ques-
ton with us and all progressive sections
of the State is, what are we to do with
such roads? They were better than
the deep sand, but we are not satisfied
with them. They have answered their
purpose, but will not carry the loads
and travel of today, and must be made
over into up-tO.date. Notwithstanding
roads. 1t is therefore clear that it
would be worse than foolish to build
any more such roads. 1t is simply
throwing money away. If any section
desires to entertain the tourists, and
get it's portion of the settlers coming
to the State, they must put their roads
in such condition as will show pro-
gressiSe spirit. 1t has been said, "Show
me the roads of a country, and can
tell you what kind ofpeople live in it.
Good roads means good schools, church
es, dwelling houses and progressive,
intelligent population. Good roads may
be said to be the metre of civilization.
You will find few people indeed, hunt
ing for home in a land where the peO-
pie are content to live as their ances-
tors lived. This is the twentieth cen
tury, and all are on the lookout for
better condition for amassng wealth
and increasing comfort
Yours is favored land Nature has
been lavish in forming it, and with
transportation the most sangulne would
hardly fix value beyond the price such
wild lands would readily sell at, if con-
nected by an up-to date road with the
outside world. Tod; y, Will they are
part of the world, they are really not
in it so far as contributing anything is
COZ ,rned toward the support of the
owner or the community. The little
tax they pay is drain on his income.
With the increased value they readily
sell, and often bring to assist in every
thing a splendid citizen from ano Their
land, who brings the savings of lifetime,
and in every way such a settler lighcens
the tax burden of every other citizen
or Taxpayer in your county.
Experience shows that the increased
value on any line of road we have so
far built have more than payed interest
on the money required to build them,
and the surplus went to decrease every
mans taxes.
This being the case, nearly every
well-pOsted man in Jacksonville voted
for our bOnd-issue of one million dol
lars, showing good business ability in
doing so. The voter in our city voted
for bonds because he knew it would re-
duce his taxes. He knew if the mil
lions of acres of wild land which today
are worth little or nothing were ever
made valuable, they must have trans
portation with the outside world, and
good roads. with the improved machn-
cry that is today used upon them, gave
the best of transportation and the
greatest possible value, in which case
they could readily figure these wild
lands with the settlers upon them
would pay fully half of the taxes of the
county, which would greatly reduce the
tax upon city property. Your people
.. should rea lily see the same results
would follow, were your roads con-
structed and your millions of acres of
land gwen their proper value. Count
bonds can be sold in New York or other
money centers at five per cent, while
your citizens on an average would be
( willing to pay eight per cent and ten
. per cent for money in their business OF
\ to lay taxes with. Consequently, il
n these roads are to be built, bonds are 8
medium through which III the people
| /oxst:r.s~l A>A~ YOA