The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-07-27
VOX POPULI.
SHALL JACKSON COUNTY
VOTE A BOND ISSUE?


Editor Pensacola Journal.
While our former article was against
the popular cry, no one has openly an
tagonized our position, or shown us,
and your intelligent readers, that we
are wrong.
We know that The Journal has a
large list of subscribers, amongst the
most intelligent people of Jackson
county, and we feel like apologiZing to
them for presenting the array of facts
regarding the bond issue, which the
smallest measure of thought and fig
uring must show, If they will only take
time to follow our figures.
Jackson county has now a popula-
ton of trif1e less than thirty thou
sand, and taxable valuation Of about
three and a quarter million dollars
S3,25O, 000.00). The five per cent in
terest on three hundred thousand dol
lars forty years bonds, would be fifteen
thousand dollars per annum, or six
hundred thousand dollars interest
alone, in forty years, twice the original
amount we receive for bonds, and this
interest, and the -fortieth of the
three hundred thousand dollars to be
raised, and put into the sinking fund, /"
Will make the total to be raised of
twenty-five thousand five hundred dol
lars ($22,5o0) each year, or nine hun
dred thousand dollars in the whole
forty years, besides which commission
on sale OF bonds, collectors and treas
urers' commissions, etc. will make the
total amount to be paid by the present
and future taxpayers of Jackson coun-
ty clear one million dollars.
On the other hand, there is a better
way, and not even a slower way, as
we shall show later.
The amount to be raised by direct
= % l.
two thousand five hundred dollars, and
that for the full forty years. regardless
of what may be the increased value of
the lands of Jackson county
If, instead of paying this amount for
| forty years, year by year, we have no
| bonds, and simply use only that much
on the building of more roads, we can
IN each year expend one hundred dol
| lars on each mile of two hundred and
| twenty FIVE miles of old or new roads
But this is not all: the new road law
! has changed the head tax" and makes
| IT eight days in work or committed to
| Tour dollars cash, and there being in
jackson county between three and four
| thousand persons subject to road labor,
winch will now be largely paid in cash,
VIII insure $4,000 to $4,000 cash or
twice that amount in road labor. Then
| this county is now receiving in cash
| about six thousand dollars from con-
Wet labor, and doubtless after we get
| another legislature and a new governor
| we Will work our own convicts SO that
these three sources of revenue will
| give US in all not less than forty thou
| sand dollars to eXpend for road build
ing each year, and will be equal and
better in all respects and make as
| many and better roads in seven and 4
| half years than the three hundred
thousand dollars derived from bonds.
and save us of all expense OF interest
and sinking funds, for twenty-five and
half years thereafter, or If we, "our
| successors and assigns" decree to keep
| taxing ourselves. as we will have to do
for all the forty years IL we vote the
| ponds, we can have to eXpend q million
and half dollars or seven hundred
and nifty dollars per mile, on every
mile OF two thousand miles of road
that Is now needed and will be needed
IN Jackson county.
| Then. Mr.. Editor and kind reader, to
properly expend three hundred thou
sand dollars in road labor, In one year,
| would De equal to ten dollars in labor
Tor every man. woman and child in the
county, or one hundred dollars to each
man subject to road labor, or to be
more reasonable, one thousand men for
three hundred working days in a year.
therefore. this army of men cannot be
had IN the state, for there IL a mani
| rest shortage of laborers in every de-
partment of business. and no where
worse than among the farmers, and
would 1t be less than an outrage to tax
the struggling farmer for this large
fund and pay it out in wages from two
TO five times as much as the said farm
ers can realize from day to day In the
hard work of their farms.
therefore, 1t Is certain that this three
hundred thousand dollars cannot be
1udfciausly expended faster, than by
using our tax money from year TIC
year. Even with the same rnfllage we
VIII have to do for interest and sink
ing fund. leaving US to assess a less
amount from year to year, why should
we for one moment think Of such a
menstrous mortgage as viii be I'M