Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-10-20
To BOND Or NOT
IS THE QUESTION
NEW SETTLERS. SHOULD HAVE
TIE BENEFIT OF sAArHON-
ED ROADS


rhe cfeaIon ol The shoshont
Highway Road district and Inc con
srquenf Improvement Oi highway
around sh0shone will be of great
benefit TO the new settlers on the
Carey act project of the North size.
STONE tract ana The western pafi
oi the Dietrich tract as ~eil as TO
the lands lying weSi u jOHn and
some 0l he land IN the North ride
project The settlers on these
projects aaNe been complaining ane
with good reasOn that he lack OIL
roads was a most serious dlawD0fk
IT, them The old roads, especially
or the Sil0shOne tract % the wrll-
erS knowledge. have been changed
ana fenced up IA many places, oW-
lng 10 tie fact that heretofore 5is>
roads we're moi ran on section liles
As the country Is setting up and
being cultivated and improved. a.
necessity the roads must be placed
or The section lines where they
Deieng because no one wants a
pcbIic- road running through his
laao and thereby damaging his
property file Hev roads on the
section tines are well nigh linpass-
ibse until travel and vet weather
have settled them and-ther they
are nGl overly g0Oa without proper
walking the good roads move
ment that Will be lnaugurated by
the Highway Commissioners Viii
benefit those cutlaylng tarul lands
greatly, far ia excess or the small
tax the owners Will have to pay
The question now before these
people. as we'll as ali others IN the
district. is whether these roads
shall be paid for by bond issue
or whether the money shall be
raised ny direct taxation. As ex-
piained in last week 5 Journal and
also before that. if bonds are IS
sued al the coming election this
district Will have funds TO bHld
and maintain first class highways
wherever needed in said district,
and the rate Of taxation will not
need to be raised one penny above
what we are now paying If the
bond issue does not carry. the COM
mlsSioners Will be forced TO levy d
direct tax in order to raise The nee
essary means fo2 building and
maintaining these roads. While
the commissioners have The power
under the law. without submitting
the question to a ulrect vote OF the
people. 10 levy a direct tax of SiO0
on each one Thousand OF assessed
valuation. they may not increase
the taxation to this extent put they
viii be obliged to increase the rate
OF taxation Very materially IN or
der to have funds to partially lm-
prove roads as they and the peo-
pie Interested both desire. Prob
ably the people most greatly bene-
lifted by the roads 30 be built viii
be the new settlers on the Carey
act lands on all sides Of town.
These people are settling ana i'm
proving our country and should re-
ceive every consideration consist
eni with good business principles
IN all public improvements where
They have to pay their share of
she taxes. While the good roads
will benefit these peO-
people greatly they Will of course.
have to pay their share of the eX-
penses thus incurred. Now. If bonds
are not issued the burden of IN
creased taxation will come upon
these people in the next two or
three years quite heavily These
settlers with but few exceptions.
need all of their financial resources
in improving their property and
their farms on paying
basis where they can depend upon
the soil for a living and their wa
ter payments besides other IN
cidental expenses. Ii would be
much easier for these folks to pay
the interest on the bonds at the
present rate of taxation than to
have to pay additional taxes al
once. We do not mean TO leave
the impression that these new sci
tiers are in any sense of the word
stricken. Most OF khem
have considerable means: az few
are almost wealthy, while a few
are running close to the limit OF
tneir means in establishing their
new homes. But even to those Sci
Hers who are well to do. the bur
den of living expenses and open
ing their Carey act farms has
drained them heavily and They viii |
need all of their means for the
next few years II would seem that
these people especially would be
in favor of issuing bonds ana not
the rate Of taxation un-
lii they get their farms on q pay
Ing basis and are able to meet all I
Of their obligauonS from the re-
turns yielded by their lands