Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-08-14
MENT THE ELECTRIC RAILWAY
and THE OPINION OF JOHN N. STONE
To the Editor of the Herald +:

AZ OuO CQO d6TdlQ.
In The Teller of August the 8th,
under the caption of The Chicago
Short Line Railway" John Nj. Stone
attempts to attack the proposition of
the City of Lancaster voting AID to
the Electric Railway Company, on
the grounds that the people will be
oppressed with taxation. that Lancas-
ter will lose her prestige as a bust
ness center, and lastly that the pro-
moter may be benefited if the road
should be built etc.
Mr. Stone deals in generalities to a
considerable extent, but that is
pardonable when one is at a loss for
argument with which to support his
contentious so I must state that the
exact amount of interest to be paid
on the series of bonds during the
eighteen years they have to run is
$40. 795. Mr.. Stones figures are Excess
sive.
With respect to payment of the
bonds, why not give exact figures
Why not show what the people are
interested in knowing, the IN
CREASE of taxation. The water bonds
now being paid are So, 600 each year,
and the last water bond will be paid
in 1915; then should the railroad be
fret built. the first Railway AID
Bond and interest on ne series would
be payable June 1st. 1916. Therefore
the additional levy caused by the
Railway Bonds would be rate
necessary to raise the interest on the
series. the sum of $225O. ba sed on the
last assessed valuation of the city,
and if computed on the equalized
valuation for this year, the rate would
be ONE AND ONE-TENTH MILLS,
i. e., one dollar and ten cents on a
thousand dollars of assessed valuation.
AS to the school tax and the results Of
the outlay of such moneys, the people
are competent TO judge for themseles.
That such moneys were spent unwise
ly, even Mr.. Stone cannot say. but
taxpayers whose children are advanc-
ed and through with the schools, may
complain of tax for the benefit Of
their neighors, children. Public
policy contemplates equal advantages
for all.
Then as to the cost of rebuilding
= 81
cited as a tax burden; why not
state the facts9 Why leave this an
indefinite matter in the voters minds
Not more than 500, 900 will be expend-
ed on this, payable in 20 years with
a low rate of interest, and the average
tax levy necessary to meet out
principal and interest, based on the
last equalize6 valuation Of the county,
will be a rate of eighteen cents per
thousand dollars to the individual
taxpayer; none but fnanciers or men
with large tax bearing properties like
Mr.. Stone could possibly find this
item when scrutinizing their tax
receipts.
As to the impossibility of building
a new city hall. Voting the railway
bonds would not preclude it, for on
the basis of the valuation of the city
this year, the railway bonds represent
but little more than half. of the
amount the city may issue bonds
fol. But VINO thought about new
city hallH Is there crying need for
itf Would taxpayers already COM
planning of school tax and necessary
additions to the water works plant
de nand it This is very unlikely.
unless perchance an individual &C.
cupying a city Office.
The promoter does not deny that if
the railway is built he would be
benefited; but such benefits would be
as legitimately earned as the wage of
those in the employment of the city,
and Mr.. Stone himself would be bene-
flied many times the cost that to aim
now seems loss and ruin.
The writer would much rather be
dubbed double optimist' than to be
known as II pessimist; one who never
sees the silver lining of the cloud,
and to the latter class Mr. Stone be-
longs. But to be more serious for a
moment, forgetting Mr.. Stone. the
coming of the proposed road means
progress and development worth a
thousand times its cost to the city Of
Lancaster and the surrounding country.
1t is an unfair statement to say
that the city of Lancaster should not
aid the railway company because the
western part of the county might re-
ceive more benefits than the city.
This is an undertaking for public
uses and public benefits, and the tax
payers of Lancaster who favor the
company's proposition do so for bust
ness reasons, not charity. This under
taking can only be successful by the
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