The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-06-11
NEW COURTHOUSE ISSUE
Letter From Mr.. Rogers on the Elec-
ton In King George June 16.
Edgehill, Va. June sth. 1910.

tlOU htttk sahN I've
Edgehill, Va. June sth, 1910.
To The Free Lance.
Through the columns of The Free
Lance | desire to warn the people OF
King George how all important to
every citizen, male and female, rich
and poor, young and old, is the APP
preaching special election to be held on
the 10th of June, 1910, to determine
whether We shall saddle upon ourselves
and posterity twenty year bonded
debt of SO, 900 for the building Of "A
new courthouse and clerk office.
Should we elect TO incur this debt,
we tax ourselves and an unoifending
posterity, who cannot vote and there
fore cannot protect itself, with an in
terest charge at 5 per cent or $500 per
year, making for the 20 years $4,000
interest charge alone. This added to
the bonded debt makes us pay FOE this
$4,000 that we bond for $40, 900 or
lust two dollars for one, we must pay
back 10 these greedy and grasping Shy
locks.
More than this, faker selling his
wares marks his goods way up, and we
do well indeed If we get a $1,000 job
out of a $4,000 bid. ] am informed,
but scout the idea as too preposterous
for human credulity, that the old build
ings have been thrown in To the con-
tractors as gratuity, thus absolutely
furnishing them with the material with
which to lit us 10 a bran new dress
made out Of our mammy's old one. III
this be true we need searching inves-
tigaton or else an enquirendo de luna
tico.
In order to pay off this debt at ma
turity we must provide sinking fund,
which through possible misapplication
and graft as the years go by VIII cost
the county for this $40. 900 bid or s.. 600
job, the sum total of $i0,O 900.
A few years ago we borrowed $1,000
to build new jail, bonding the county
for five years, | think. A too cOmpla-
cent board unlawfully paid its attorney
I2l-2 per cent. (S75l to borrow this
money. $1,000 of the sinking fund pro-
vided for the payment Of this debt at
maturity was swept away at one fell
swoop of misapplcation in small
pox hysteria. The books will show we
paid So, 600 in liquidation Of this 5000
loan. History repeats itself and at the
same ratio, and il is question in simple
Arithmetic, if $1,000 cost $1,000 IN. D
years, $40, 900 will cost $4,000 in 70
years.
A sinking fund. like every surplus
fund held in the treasury. is n constant
menace to official honesty. Ii may be
,,eaJ a., a I,,rrlar's it,ppoy IA nrtza off
the lid. exposing your treasure 10 rapa-
cious hands There is no public fund
so sacred that the mandamus of a court
cannot reach in any case of supposed
emergency. There are a hundred ways
and devices by which this fund may be
misappled and this bonded debt, a
mortgage on our property for twenty
years, will be made an instrument OF
increasing taxation through all these
years. Crop failures. war, famine and
pestilence may come. but each unpity-
ing Shylock will demand the sum nom
mated in his bond, be it the last pound
Of flesh from right over the heart. We
are up against set Of unreasonlng eN-
aggerated egOes who know It all. We
petitioned and prayed them in public
meetings to give us voice as TO this
needless and arbitrary action. involving
US in debt for twenty years. We were
answered in bOisterous brain storm,
The people be damned Who cares for
the people?" We appealed TO the
Legislature. which providentially hap
pened to be in session, and obtained
this cherished right 10 vote. Now lap
peal to you fellow citizens of King
George to go to your polling places on
the 10th of June and exercise this right
TO vote to the last man among you, so
that you may bury under an avalanche
Of adverse votes this hateful effort on
the part of those who would bur-
den us with excessive and unnecessary
taxation for mere show.
Every voter who paid his capitation
tax on or before the 7th day Of May,
1910, can vote in this special election
and a great many others who are ex.
empt from this prepayment Of capita
ton tax can vote. Go to the polls any
way and ask if you have the right to
vote if you have any doubt about it.
Go early and stay late and urge others
to 90 and stay. as this is the most i'm
portant election you have ever had the
opportunity tO attend.
James f. Rogers.