The Cairo bulletin., 1910-04-12
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HEAR
ARGUMENTS ON PETITION
OF CAIRO CITIZENS.
CAIRO NOT IN DISTRICT
Road Tax Collected Since 1905 Illegal
According to Opinion Of Attor-
neys--City Council
Must Act.


lafternoon on the petition or citizens
Iasking that Road District Nos. and
II be consolidated There were pres,
ent perhaps fifty citizens whose
names were signed to the petition
and were deeply interested in the
Ihearing. Among these were nc. Paul
i q. Schuh, John Sander, j. s. Ais.
/ thorpe. f. Bueher, w. il. Wood. H. f.
Halliday, Geo. I. Carnes. w. ].
Johnston, Samuel White, Douglas
Halliday
/ The petitioners were represented
by Judge w. S. Dewey VINO read the
law bearing on the proposed action.
i He contended that while In the forma.
Ition of road district city could
mot be included without its consent
Expressed in an ordinance, when such
district had once been formed and
the city had attached itself thereto,
the Board OF County Commissioners
had right to extend the lines of
such district without concurrent ac-
tlRph Wy thC ttlf Npihbtts Ii0 HOlhltu
out the advantages 20 Cairo of ex-
ltending the present district to include
District No 2. The money collected
in this district this year would be
about 1900, of when $4,000 was
lcolected in the city OF Cairo. This
lefty should therefore have a right to
say how this money should be ex-
lpended. 1t was obviously to the city's
advantage to build road or roads
into the heart Of the county. or to
lsuch point where the natural level
Iof the ground would afford traffic to
the city from the settled portions Of
the county. This could not be done
Iunless the districts were consolidated
as proposed. 1t would not neces-
|sarily mean thar the roads in the
drainage District should not be built,
for it would not prohibit the use OF
the money for this purpose. 1t would
lie solely within the discretion of the
road commissioners.
Judge John N. Lansden by invita-
Ition of tie hoard. expressed the belief
ijat. gr5rr the lr~ tie Board could
mot extend the lines OF the present
district. so as TO include Cairo, with
out the consent OF the Cairo city
cQunc,l expressed in an ordinance
lduly passed He held that Cairo was
mot legally in District No. as now
hn ictr 4
been changed by the County Board In
1905 after the city had been formally
attached to the district, and the city
lhad not again attached itself to the
district as extended Any action Of
the Board could not affect the stand.
ing of the city of Cairo, as the city
was already out of the district. In
Ireply to questions the Judge said tax
payers need not pay the road tax If
they did not wish to do so. He ex-
Ipressed himself in sympathy with
the movement TO extend the district,
but pointed out that the present pro.
lceedings had reyeafeG conditions
which might stop road building in the
district entirely, since the road com
miysioners for the district as now
constituted might find that they
would not get any considerable sum
of money from Cairo hereafter, unless
tsome agreement was reached that
would be satisfactory to the people
of Cairo.
IAttoraey Leek agreed with Judge
Lansden, that the Board could do
nothing to include Cairo in the dis
trict without the consent of the city
council. He believed the only way
the County Board could extend the
district so as to include Cairo would
be by concurrent action with the city
council.
DR.. Jennelle had the city counciI's
resolution read, which he said was
merely advisory and WAS not binding
on the council which could change Its
attitude on the subject and pass the
necessary ordinance. In the mean
time the Board probably could dc
nothing and had better defer action
ltill some future time.
W. Fl. Wood expressed the belief
that the city council would do this
, after learning the feeling of the peo
pie Of Cairo, which he was sure was
, strongly in favor Of consolidation as
, proposed.
! Ira Hastings spoke at length
! against the consolidation. He said
. Cairo would be more benefited by
building roads nearer home where
great tracts of land icy nndeveloped
for the want Of roads OF the 1000
, acres in the Cairo Drainage District
/ only 5000 acres were improved, and
! the reason the ether lay idle was that
, III was inaccessible. Ii was some Of
the finest land In Illinois which II
: cultivated would produce from $500
: 900 to 100000 in crops annually and
: might be made to yield a million dol
lars a year, all Of which would be
spent in Cairo Farmers In the coun
ty would not come to Cairo even II
they had road, because 1t would be
Inn loncy a hail for tho nrndupn which