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


Here is over 100000 spent by our
County Court in little over two years,
and the SherIff's statement shows good
balance IN every fund. From the fact
that we have very material increase IN
our assessment every succeeding year,
our revenues are constantly increasing
and the very action OF our County Court
proves this TACT conclusWely.
Successful business menaS they are, keen
traders, alive 10 the county'S interests,
and dealing as close for the public as they
-reehd for themselves, they pay $4,000
cash for Burneu'S lease, Jour years 10
rur. when the same lease sold at public
aucnon, 2o years 10 run, al S202OO. thus
by their actions they prove concluslVely
the material increase OF the aSSeSSaole
property OF our county.
Now the County Court did net make
fair statement OF the financial condition
OF the county OF Jefferson, and We quote
their own records 70 prove the same:
Now, one OF the best business men OF
our County Court, Mr.. \. K. Roberts,
told us that this bridge could De built
without increasing our bonded indebted
ness or raising our assessment, and from
the investigation and search OF the rec
ords and orders, and for what purposes
drawn, that We have had made, and from
The facts presented to you voters, to-wIt,
that since March the 18th, 1910, orders
for extraordinary expenses have been
drawn as follows:
Light, Beltzhoover and Mason Sl,2I5.O
Court House addition, over Il ,oOO.UU
Paid on Bonded Indebtedness
from Oct. /, 1911, to Oct. |, 1912 10000
Total, 81, 1880
This has been done and can be done
in two years without raising our assess
ment, for they have proven beyond the
shadow of doubt the material increase
in our assessment.
This bridge can be built just like the
addition TO me Courthouse was built,
without increasing our bonded indebted
ness. Our present County Court IS COM
posed OF farmers, OF countrymen; now
over one-fifth OF the truly countrymen
of our county are on the east side OF the
Shenandoah river, and il looks like they
are entitled 10 one member OF the County
Court, or they suffer taxation without
representation, the same as our Revolu-
tionary forefathers, and their lords and
masters are 4 10 weeks distant from
them al times by an impossible rlver,
during which time several trips could be
made 10 our mother country and return.
Another material increase that the County
Court can count on from June the LIST,
1914, and that is, the rent from six double
offices in Lawyers Row, worth at least
500. 90 per annum, which Will pay over
one-eighth of the present interest charges
on our bonded Indebtedness.
These offices are worth al least $4,000
rent per annum, considering that they,
the County Court, are good business men
and that they paid $4,000 cash for four
wears and two months lease on one set
OF offices, so here is a revenue that they
can count on as sure as two and two is
four.
When our county voted the two hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars bond issue,
our assessed value, real and personal,
was about Sc, 900. 10000. II is now nearly
SIG, 0O0, 0O0.0O, and rapidly increasing.
The fathers OF our constitution IN their
wisdom considered per cent OF our
assessed value conservative debt for Us
TO carry, so you see you could carry a
500. 10000 bond issue on SIC, 0O0, 10000
assessment.
Our present bonded Indebtedness is
only Sl72, 10000. Add the present asked
for bond issue, $50, 900, making S222, 6e9,
less than we carried when our assess
ment was only little over one-third
what il is today, and constantly increas-
ing.
There is still another view to take OF
this bridge proposition: The Jefferson
county citize-s residing on the east side
OF the Shenandoah river or on the west
side thereof have a right to demand
bridge across the Shenandoah river
wherever the river crosses a regularly
established public road. Whenever a
citizen of Jefferson county follows reg
ularly established road and finds an i'm
pasSable river spanning this road, and
when the regularly established county
authorities have not made adequate ar
rangementS to cross the same, the citizen,
in our humble opinion, is entitled to re-
enumeration for all damages that he SUI
fers from delay, and he can. in our opin-
ion, by proper legal methods, compel the
county authorities to erect suitable bridges