Crittenden record-press., 1911-02-02

for this year $4,000 900. Pennsylvania,
the second state iii growth IN the east,
has appropriated sS,22l 00o, and for
the year 1910 sl,0n0,000. WASHINGTON,
which outgrew any of tho Pacific
states, has appropriated 100000 for
this year. and so OH through long
list OF states.
Let me say that no state in the
union hHs made material progress in
road building, except those states
which have granted financial aid. anG
that every state which has cr7ntet
aid has made material progress. State
aid is an ahcOlerr utcose.se -. s"rure
good roads. We will never have them
in Kentucky Wi'ho0t IL. II u."ans. =
the first place. thg' IN rc7tF VIII
be properly built. This has not been
tho css@ ~ keutuc''y save with rare
exceptions. II viii not only stop the
waste from incompstency, but it will
also stop the graft which has been
h;nted ~ rs ',istiuG in some counties.
'ker,ncify. OF ri! states in the union,
should provide stct' aid, for the rea-
sOn that no state has such a great
difference in the wealth and poverty
ot our people. We have one county
whoso assessablc wealth is over $780,.
coo Geo. and dozen where the as.
cessmCry is less than 81 100000 The
irinCil'le of state aid has been recog-
nized in Kentucky throughout its en-
tire history. Our public school system
tests upon it and without it half the
counties could not maintain public
schools. The state, instead Of the
counties, under our laws pays all the
jury claims, witness claims. pauper
idiot claims, circuit judges and COM
mOnwealth attorneys salaries and
many other things II is so embodied
In our laws that the state is the unit
that 1t is almost fundamental.
Compared With School Tax.
81 do not believe that there is an
intelligent man within the sound of
my voice who would openly oppose the
state school tax OF 221a cents on the
500 because his county paid into the
state treasury more than it drew out.
Of that law. Any candidate for the leg.
islature 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 it paid in would
be overwhelmingly defeated. Why?
Because it is recognized as an abso-
lutte necessity for the rich counties
of Kentucky to help to educate the
children OF the poor counties in order
TO maintain our public schol system.
Nearly half the counties in Kentucky
are as helpless to build good roads
without state aid as they would be to
maintain public schools without state
aid. Realizing the value which state
aid has been to other states no one
can object tc it in Kentucky except
upon the most selfish motives Of pay.
ing in a little more into the state
treasury than they can draw out, and
do not believe that Kentucky is go-
ing to be governed by that narrow
spirit. Those few people who are cry
ing out against the small tax of 8 cents
on the 800 from selfishness are cry.
ing out before even their pocketbooks
are hurt. We believe that the state
supervision in the construction OF
roads would save IL 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 would be
paid back a 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 a
section that has been overlooked by
many. 1t is 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 per cent of
ii will be $4,000 Any county receiv.
ing this maximum amount will be
drawing out of the state treasury more |
than it pays in unless the assessed |
valuation of the county Is S2O,0OO,0n0 |
CT more. In Kentucky We have less |
than ten counties where the property |
is valued at S20,000,00o Or more. and |
these would be the only ones which |
would of necessity contribute more 70 |
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
it is nothing more than right and just |
that in turn they should help to build |
up the country, for the reason that in |
in the end they would become bene-
ficiaries.
ALLOW me to refer to our public
school system again. Under the pro-
visions of the law tax Of 2212 cents
is levied on all the property OF The
state and paid into the state treasury.
II is disbursed according to the NUM-.
4 4.