The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1911-01-12
monweaith attorneys salaries and
many other things II is so embodied
IN our laws that the state IL the unit
that II is almost fundamental.
Compared With School Tax.


Compared With School Tax.
81 do not believe that there IL an
Intelligent man within the sound OF
my voice who would openly oppose the
state school tax of 22ih cents on tho
500 because his county paid into the
state treasury more than II drew out.
No man has ever advocated the repeal
of that law Any candidate for the lee.
lslature who would make the race
upon the platform Of the repeal of the
school tax because his county did not
get back as much as Il paid in would
he overwhelmingly defeated. Why'
Because II is recognized "a an abso.
lutte necessity for the rich counties
Of Kentucky to help to educate the
children of the poor counties IN order
10 maintain our public schol system.
Nearly half the counties in Kentucky
are as helpless to build good roads
without state aid as they would he TO
maintain public schools without state
aid. Realizing the value which state
aid has been TO other states no one
can object to IL In Kentucky except
upon the mcst selfish motives Of nay.
ing in little more into the state
treasury than they can draw out, and
do not believe that Kentucky Is 20.
Ing 10 be governed by that narrow
spirit. Those few people who are cry.
ing out against the small tax OF 5 cents
on the 800 from selhshness are cry.
ing out before even their pocketbooks
are hurt. We believe that the state
supervision in the construction Of
roads would save In the rich counties
more than the tax they pay. that in
the end the increased prosperity Of
the pauper counties by the building
Of good roads would soon take many
Of them out Of the pauper list, and
that in ten years the state you'd be
paid back large interest on the
money invested in roads by an In
creased valuation Of property.
Two Per Cent Provision.
There is a section Of the synopsis
of the bill to be discussed which is
section that has been overlooked by
many. It !s the section which pro-
vides that no county shall receive any
year more than per cent Of the state
fund. This state fund will be APP
pre- ximately 100000 and 2 per cent Of
Il will be $4,000 Any county receiv.
ing this maximum amount will be
drawing out Of the state treasury moro
than it pays I'm unless the assessed
valuation of the county is 100000 900
CT more. In Kentucky We have less
than ten counties where the property
is valued at $4,000. 00o or more. and
these would be the only ones which
would of necessity contribute more TO
the road fund than they could draw
from It, All of these rich counties
have large cities in them. These cities
have been built up by the country, and
II Is nothing more than right and just
that in turn they should help TO bald
up the country. for the reason chat in
in the end they would become bene-
hciaries.
ALLOW me to refer 10 our public
school system again. Under the pro
visions of the law a tax of % = cents
Is levied on all the property OF :he
state and paid into the state treasury.
Il is DISTURBED according to the num-
her of children in each county. and the
county does not have to raise a single
cent to get the benefit OF this fund.
The state aid to roads is on a much
fairer proposition than this. IL pro-
vides that not a dollar of the static
money shall so to any county which
does not cover it with either 81 or 81
of its own money, to be used in the
construction Of the roads according
TO its ability to paw. In other words.
II the state puts up 100000 year to
aid in road building. the counties viii
have to put up from 100000 70 81 ,0Oo,-
900. This means that in ten years
there will ne from 10000 Ia 10000
miles of good roads built in Kentucky
according 10 the direction Of a cont
petent civil engineer and after the
mcst approved methods of road build
ing. This will do more to develop
kentucky and to enrich 1t than the
same amount of money spent in any
other way"