The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-05-24
The CALAMITY HoWLER
Lynne, Fla. May 20, 1912.

finances the discourse and the down.
trodden CD tax payer the gallery to
whom the tune is played.
We must remember that our plucky
county commissioners within the past
few years have built Marion county
court house equal to the best of any
town or city in the interior of the
state, Jail that bids defiance to the
worst criminals of the state, four
steel bridges that have taken the
place of the old, leaky, cumbersome
ferry at across the rivers, that once
hindered the plucky farmer in taking
his produce to market, and have built
more hard-surfaced rock roads, clay
roads and straw roads in Marion
county than in any county perhaps
in Florida. Remember the court
house, the Jail, the steel bridges and
a part of the hard and improved roads
were built on credit-borrowed mon
ey. Is any sane tax payer opposed
to or ashamed of the improvements
above mentioned? Hive not said i'm
provements enhanced the value OF
taxable property? Has it not been A
good investment for every tax payer
in raising the price of his town lots.
his houses and lands in the rural dis
tricts? If the tax payer does not want
to pay taxes on the enhanced valua-
ton of his property, let him sell
there is someone ready to buy. One
of my neighbors sold last week an
old, thrown away, dilapidated place of
80 acres for $3.50 cash. l could have
bought it six years ago for perhaps
5000. 1t was as cheap now at the
price sold for, with good roads, steel
it would have been six years ago at
the price then, without the county
improvements. Suppose the county
commissioners had levied tax some
years ago to make the above mention
ed Improvements and had put off the
work till the cash was on hand, would
it not have made an accumulation OF
thousands of dollars? Suppose the
burglar had applied nitro-glycerine to
the vault where the money was kept,
who then would have to be mandam-
used?
| am in favor of the Blitcht0n
neighborhood having a good road, so
l am of every prosperous neighbor-
hood in the county, but to mandamus
the board of county commissioners
will not build nor repair any good
roads. Blitchton neighborhood enjoy
ed a good road when Lake Weir was
begging for one. The latter is not yet
completed; the Blitchton road needs
repair, and l am sorry the commits
sioner of the fifth district has not
been able to get to it, but l think he
will, if kindly approached.
Dunnellon has been clamOring for
a long time for hard road to con-
meet with Ocala. / am glad the Dun
nellonites are getting it. They, too,
are prosperous and are good tax pay
ers. They deserve good road to the
county site, Ocala. l should like to
have better road to my county town,
though l am not aggrieved l will get
it bye and bye, if our progressive
board of county commissioners are let
alone in their good work.
Considering the assessed valuation
of property in Marion county, the
taxes are very reasonable, compared
to some other counties of the state
Then consider the blessings of good
roads to the farmer that hauls his
oranges, potatoes, beef, pork, etc., to
market, as we'll as those who wear
the cloth of the "auto-gentry." Let Us
all have pluck and press with vigor
on, and not be like the old East India
fable: A mouse that dwelt near the
abode of great magician was kept
in constant fear of cat The magi-
clan took pity on the mouse and turn
ed it into cat. Immediately the
mouse began to suffer from the fear
of dog, so the ma gic:en turned r
into dog then it got in mortal
dread of tiger, and the magician
turned the poor, trembling mouse
into tiger. Then the mouse began
to suffer from fear of a huntsman,
and the magician, in disgust, said:
BE mouse, then, and continue 20
live in fear of the ills you Know not
OF"
We have the handsome little Office
of state auditor, and also of assist
ant state auditor. Their duties are 10
visit the several counties of the state
and check up every county officer,
and report to the governor of he
eft afa fho financial oopd;f;or 80 .xv1...,