Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-05-07
Sentiment Of Farmers is Decidedly
Against Proposed Ss50,000
Bond Issue
j. H. ALBERT GIVES THE
BOOSTERS SIDE OF CASE
Mrs. Waldo Says that Agitation Will
Result in Farmers Taxing
Themselves.

was given an opportunity to express
their views either Cor or against the
bonds.
w. l.. Simemral, of Maeleay, opened
the meeting and announced that it had
been falsely stated that few farmers
were against the bonds, so this meeting
was called to allow those interested to
refute the statement
w. A. Jones then took charge Of the
meeting and Mr.. r. w. Seton, of Sa-
lem, acted as secretary and took the
minutes.
Mr. Taylor was the first speaker
called and stated that those interested
in the bonds gave that side'in glowing
phrases and avoided telling anything
that might be construed as arguments
against them. .
Mr.. Taylor went on to say that any
bond issue that taxed all for the imme-
diate benefit of a few was unjust, un-
fair and little short of stealing. He
said that the present bond issue was
planned this way and that large num-
Der of those paying taxes on these
roads would seldom if ever travel on
them.
Mr.. Victor Kreentz agreed with Mr..
Taylor and went on to advocate the
idea of dividing the money equally be-
TWEEN all districts as the only just and
equitable mode of disbursing the
funds.
Mr.. Emery, of Waldo Hills, spoke,
opposing bond issue of any kind, and
stated that man that would know
ingly saddle debt onto his children was
poor specimen of man. He said that
a large per cent of the voters present
would not live to see the bonds paid,
but their children must take up the
yoke of bondage forced upon them by
their fathers and pay it out.
He said the new roads proposed were
to be placed where the best roads of
Marion county were situated, and that
these good roads that represented thou
sands of dollars of hard earned money
of the farmers must be torn up. He
advocated spending little money at q
time and paying in full as they went
and that in ten years time the roads
would be in first-class condition with
out bond issue.
Mrs. c.. H, Waldo, of Macleay and
Portland, spoke opposing the bonds and
said that a speaker at Shaw last Tues
day night had stated that there Nas
not foot of good roads in Oregon out
side of Incorporated cities. She asked
what these boosters called good roads,
as she had recently Travelled over the
good roads. of Europe and found that
some roads here compared favorably
to them.
She graphically depicted the deplor.
able aspect of farmer with family
deeply in debt and how he would be
sympathized with by his neighbors and
friends and scoffed at by some, and
then she said how much worse was it
to see a whole county of families in tho
same condition.
She referred to the fact that the
county court would have control of this
money, and called attention to the
fact that every four years there would
be a scramble by politicians to get a
chance at the money, and she prophe-
sled there would be many hot fight
even fist fights-about it.
She said the $4,000 interest, if di-
vided among the road districts, would
60 Q long way to fix up the roads that
now exist.
There is one element of good over
looked by many people, she said, and
that was the fact that this proposed
bond issue was arousing interest among
the farmers in good roads, and that
now they would go on and tax them
selves and fix the roads and pay for
them as fixed.
She called attention to the fact that
everywhere along the good roads of
Europe could be seen little piles of
lime rock and occasionally an old man
with wheelbarrow, whose only duty
was to trundle back and forth along
the roads putting quart here, peck
here and maybe a bushel there, as the
wear on the surface needed it. He is
constantly repairing it. And then she
stated there was absolutely no provis-
ion made for repairing these bond-is-
sue roads.
She said that in Europe farmers
We're guaranteed ready and profitable
market for all they can raise, and can
afford good roads. Here the farmer
never knows whether his potatoes will
pay to dig or his apples find profit
able market, so cannot attempt the
yoke of bond issue until he has a
better market for his produce. She
was interrupted constantly by ap-
plause.
The Pratum male quartet sang Sc
veral amusing songs which were great.
ly appreciated as evidenced by the ap-
plause accorded them.
Dan Miller was asked to speak to
those assembled, and stated that so
much insult had been heaped onto the
farmer in this campaign in the way
of foul epithets and slurring remarks
as to his brain capacity that that one
thing should be enough to drive any
farmer to vote against the bond issue
to show he could not be driven to the
polls like a dog by a few disinterest-
ed y parties.
He said the city of Salem is in debt
head over heels and that the old bridge
is about to fall down rnc not yet paid
for. That the city owed per capita
debt of $500 for every man, woman
and child in the CITY.
He referred TO the brotherly love
shown by those working for the bond
issue and said they were working abso-
lutely gratis, and then stated every
road supervisor in the county had re.
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