Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-10-17

leaves his home his o0lectlVe pOlnt ID liiS
county seat Charles TOWN.. so wheth-
er he lives up the river or down the nv
er when he starts for the bridge ne loses
no time or distance ,aS the site OF the pro-
posed bridge is nearly opposite the Town
OF Charles Town.
To make this bridge effective, OF prac-
tical use, it is necessary to construct TWO
roads, one down the river TO Keys fer-
ry road, the other up the rlver 10 Inc
Shannondale Furnace road. NOW Inc
construction of these roads will not COST
the county one cent, for the men especial
ly benefited have signed an agreement
with the County Court agreeing TO con-
Struct these roads under the supervision
and approval of the County surveyor,
James K. Hendricks. One OF the MEM
bers of the County Court estimated thai
these roads would cost $1,000 to $lO,OOO,
so il will be seen that those specially
benefited are willing to bear Speclal Dur-
denS.
Some have said that as Charles Town
district will be specially benefited by Inc
construction OF this bridge she could con-
tribute more than the other districts.
This is correct. She should contribute
more and she will for every time Jefler-
son county spends 81 90 for county pur-
poses, Charles Town pays nearly one
half. Why? Because Charles Town
district has nearly one-half the assessed
value of real estate and personal property
in Jefferson county. .,,
Some people think and have SAID that
the real estate on the east side OF lne
Shenandoah River is poor and OF little
value This is not correct. There are
several large veins OF limestone running
through land on the east side OF the Shen-
andoah River and every Jefferson county
farmer knows that where we lind lime
stone we find first-class land. The land
on the east side of the Shenandoah XIV
er is now assessed at very low figure.
Erect this bridge and you will increase
its present value over $lOO, ,0OO, which Will
then pay its share OF county taxes.
TO increase the bonded Indebtedness
of Jefferson county 1000, pay interest
on same at per cent, and to pay It on al
the rate OF 1000 per year, will, without
taking into consideration the increased
value of land on the east side OF the Shen-
andoah River, only increase our present
taxes the first year z per cent. Every
succeeding year It will be less. 400
To illustrdte-lf your taxes are $lOO
per annum, the first year after the bond
issue they will be $l02. If your taxes
are $50, tney will be the first year $5l:
If they are $25, they will be $3.50, and
so on. SO you see this will not be a
heavy buraen upon any one. Then,
again, in very few years after building
this bridge, the increased assessed value
OF the land on the east side OF the Shen-
andoah River, and the land between the
Shenandoah River and Charles Town,
and Charles Town itself, will much more
than take care Of the bond issue and will
really tighten our burdens instead OF In
creaSing them.
At the present writing the grain dealers
and millerS OF Charles own are getting
about thirty thousand bushels OF wheat
from Loudoun county. Build this bridge
and construct these roads, and we Will
get from eighty to one hunored thousand
bushels Of wheat from Loudoun county
Now, you cannot benefit any part OF JET
ferSon county without benetittlng all OF II
to a greater or less extent. The State
Normal School at ShepherdStown bene-
fits primarily Shepherdstown and vicinity
but at the same time it is great benefit
to the entire county.
THE RAILROAD BOND ISSUE.
So build this bridge and construct these
roads and the increased assessed value
OF the land east of the Shenandoah River,
the increased assessed value OF the land
between Charles Town and the river and
the increased assessed value OF Charles
Town property caused by the building
of this bridge and the construction OF
these roads will more than take care OF
the expense caused by the construction
thereof. Now we have all frequently
heard the bond issue of $3.50, 900 tor the
construction of the Shenandoah Railroad
criticised, and it may be that it deserves
some criticism, but, nevertheless, II has
and is still paying Jefferson county farlll-
erS over 10 per cent annually on tne III,
creased price OF the 5OO,OOO bushels OF
wheat that we annually market, owing TO
its opening up the southern markets
We are today getting from TO o cents
more a buShel for our wheat than the
farmers of Frederick county, Md, owing
TO our direct connection with southern
markets. Five to 6 cents buShel on
100000 bushels of wheat is from ~, ,OOO
to 10000 a year, which is from lU 10 IL
per cent on $3.50, 600.
The present Indebtedness OF Jefferson
county is $l75,000. We are limited IN
our State Constitution by the wisdom OF
the farmers thereof to county debt not
TO exceed 5per cent OF our assessed value.
The assessed value of the real and per-
sonal property of Jefferson county IS
about SIS, 100000. This assessment en-
titles us to carry debt OF $3.50, ,0OO,whlc
the wisdom of the fathers of our consti-
tuition thought conservative. So you
see we could increase our debt over
$500, 900, ten times $4,000, and still be
considered conservative by the trainers
of our constitution.
MAY NOT BE NEEDED.
Even if YOU authorize this bond issue
the County Court may not consider If
necessary to issue if. The revenues OF
the county, at the present rate of taxa
ton, have been ample TO assist in build
ing a bridge across the Opequon to Berke-
ley county, to build conlmodious addi-
tion to our Court House with modern
conveniences, and to considerably reduce
our public debt. So if we, the people,
authorize this bond issue, if the County
Court find that they have the people back
OF them by their recorded vote, they, the
County Court, may, and they can in our
opinion, build this bridge without increas-
ing Our bonded indebtedness. The roads,
as have heretofore stated. will be con-
structed without any expense to the
county. So much for the business and
financial side of the bridge proposition.
II has another side. As | have here