The record., 1911-02-23
Some Side Lights on
The Old Railroad Bonds
A..
BV OTTO =. ROTHERT


For nearly forty years one of the
leading political and financial topics
of discussion in Muhlenberg was the
question of the Muhlenberg county
railroad bonds; but it now seems
that few matters of local importance
are more vague to the majority of
the younger citizens of today than
the history and nature of this old
subject.
| cannot lead you through the
complicated history of these bonds,
for l, like many others, am not
thoroughly familiar with its intri.
cacies. | shall not attempt to write
an outline OF this now settled ques-
ton, but shall here refer to few of
the many incidents bearing on the
subject.
The old railroad bonds vexed and
worried the citizens of Muhlenberg
for many years. The original bonds
$500, ooo) we've issued in 1903 to
aid in the construction of the Eliza
bethtown and Paducah X. r. now
the l. &. Litigation and interest,
extending over a period of almost
forty years, ran the Indebtedness
up to nearly a million dollars.
a few years ago, during Judge I.
J. Sparks administration, this in
debtedness was compromised for
S2Is, 900, of which $25, 900 was
made payable in 1905; $a5, 900 in
1910; $50, 900, in 1915 and SIS, 900,
in 1920.
Before the election took place in
1868, in which the voters were to
express their approval or disapprov-
al of a special tax, number of men
rode over the county and encour-
aged such a levy. They met with
very little opposition. In few in
stances, however, some solicitors,
it is reported, were obliged to re-
sort to peculiar methods.
The story is told that a certain
town-man, while electioneering in
the country, called on a friend ol
his who was known to be one of the
few anti-levys in that neighborhood.
The two men met at the farmer:
pasture fence. After the usual salu-
tons and remarks they climbed,
each from his own side, to the toI
of the rail fence, sat down and be
gan to argue the railroad question,
pro and con. Physically both were
ton the fence" but not mentally,
for each was firm in his own con
viction regarding the railroad.
The town-man deplOred the neg
lect of the wonderful resources il
the immediate vicinity; the forests
the coal and the iron, none of which
be argued, could be developed un'
til a railroad was built. He, like
nearly all other citizens of the coun
ty, felt convinced and therefore ar
gued that the railroad debt could bt
met without a very noticeable in
crease in the payment of tax. Blu
the farmer insisted that as long a
he could not see how nor when thI
railroad tax could be paid, he woulC
be in favor of leaving the harvesting
of the resources alone and thu
rather vbear those ills we have thar
fly to others that We know not of.
The railroad enthusiast, afteI
having presented all his arguments
notices a white heifer and spotteI
calf that chanced to be grazing il
his friends pasture. The idea sud
denly occurred to him that he Nigh
offer to pay all the farmers railroad
tax in exchange for these two youn
cattle. So he made a proposition
to that effect and it was accepted
Both men were equally satisfied wit
I the agreement, altho' both still he'll
! decidedly opposite views on tn
! railroad question.
The white heifer and spotted ca
! we're brought to Greenyille. Th
{ fatted calf was killed; the heifer, a
{ years rolled on, grew old and wa
{ finally sold and shipped away on tn
{ K. x 2. to a city market. Thi
I town man not only paid the farmer
{ railroad tax in the beginning, br
{ kept on paying every assessmer
{ and, it is said, he is doing so "eve
{ unto this day"