Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-02-27
Dallas, Oregon, Feb. %, 1914.


Dallas, Oregon, Feb. %, 1914
Editor Observer:
From some mistaken or IRE
sponsible source, report has gaine'
circulation that the Dallas Commerc
ial Club is promoting plan to bont
Polk County for 100000 for the con
struction of hard-surface road t,
connect all the principal towns of tn,
county.
An item to this effect was recent,
printed in Portland newspapers, ant
in your issue of last Tuesday we not
that you reprinted it, together will
some editorial comment which tend
to place the Commercial Club in ,
most false and misleading attitude be
fore the taxpayers of the county.
While concrete highway econ
Meeting all the principal cities of Poll
County is a consmation devoutly t.
be wished, the fact remains that mo-
a single step looking to such gigan
tic project has been taken by the Dal
las Commercial Club. Neither is the
club promoting any scheme to bone
the county for 100000 for such al
improvement. The club is composed
of live and progressive business mer
and farmers, men who are deeply in
terested in the betterment of the
county thoroughfaress and men who
are able to read and inter
prrt the existing road laws. No one
knows better than these men that til.
law absolutely prohibits the isspar.ce
Of road bonds in any sum create,
thar two per cent. of the ASSESSED
valuation of the county.
If you will consult the news col.
umns of your own paper of last Tues
day, the same paper in which the mis-
leading bond editorial was printed
you will find that Polk s assessed val
nation for the year 1913 is $l3,9G :
9G5. By comparing these figures with
The law limiting bond issue t. tw.I
per cent. of the total assessed valua-
tion, the utter absurdity of the $780,
nU0 bugaboo becomes painfully APP
parent. With the law positively for
bidding any bond issue in excess Of
$279,319, the new editor of the OBJ
server and any of his readers who
may have become frightened by his
sensational editorial utterances may
possess their souls in peace, for there
will be no 100000 road debt saddled
on the taxpayers of the county. Nor,
so far as the members of the club are
aware, is there any likelihood of even
a $279, 900 bond issue in the immedi-
ate future.
The fact of the matter is, the sub
jeet of a road bond issue has not
been discussed at any of the club meet
ings. Individual members of this or
ganization may have expressed their
own opinions in private conversation,
a privilege which we think no one will
wish to deny them, especially at a
time when all progressive citizens,
whether in the club or out of it, are
earnestly discussing all possible ways
and means for securing better public
highways. But the truth remains
that the Dallas Commercial Club, as
a club, has taken no steps whatever
toward securing bond issue of $780,
600, or any other amount, for road
construction or Improvement. We
feel safe in adding that majority of
the club members do not consider this
latest bonding law an absolutely just
and righteous measure. While hon.
oring the men who voted for its pass
age as enterprising and progressive
lawmakers who were seeking to re-
move the bad roads handicap from
the commercial life of the state, the
officers and members of this club be-
lieve that better and more equitable
plan will be found for distributing the
burden of road taxation.
In submitting this letter for publi-
cation. the club is actuated solely by
a desire to correct any false impress
sion that may have been created by
misleading news items and the OBJ
servers editorial comment thereon.
The club does not wish to be under