The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-08-21
SOME EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS
FROM AN ANTHONY
SUBSCRIBER
Anthony, Fla, Aug. 20, 1914.
e Editor Ocala Banner:

In going over the Anthony-Citra
road, leading to Ocala, ones first m
preston is that great is the pity that
this road is in such fix just at this
time, when news of distant wars
reach across the ocean and disturb
our financial and labor matters so
much. Only slight reflection is need
ed, however, to reveal the fact that
right now is the time to place this
long neglected road in good condition
in fact, now is the opportune time
to build needed roads. Taxes are
hard to collect and hard to pay and
should be as light as possible. Debt
is sometimes appalling, but lneverthe-
less sometimes necessary, and affords
not only relief but the means of great
and necessary improvements, and in
this case would give sustenance to
many now hungry.
If the county can obtain the money
at reasonable rate of interest-and
no doubt it can-worl should com
mence as soon as practicable, and
place this road at least in keeping
with the other thoroughfares leading
into Ocala.
1t goes without saying Though it
has been much said) that the Antho,
ny road is a disgrace to the county.
The section of the county traversed
by this road contributes it's full quo
to to public support and Ocala trade.
And right here l would like to suggest
that the suburban street connecting
with this road is in the same condi.
ton, which, | suppose, is in accord
ance with municipal decorum. This
road is narrow guage to start with
and full of holes and bumps from
one end to the other, and from one
years end to another, year after year
without cessation or short recess. The
holes and long ruts hold water in the
most co., 1enient form for great spat.
tering when run into, and the clay
portions are an abomination when it
rains, while the little that is hard is
so full of projecting sharp rocks that
a horse will insist on taking the
heavy sand road rather than go on it.
Now is the time to do this work that
must be done sooner or later-the
later it is done the more cost it will
accrue; the sooner it is done the less
cost it will be.
Now is the time, because it. would
help business and suffering humanity,
as we'll as suffering animals; now is
the time because if performed now
the public could be using the good
roads, while otherwise they would be
waiting-and such wait! Now is the
time because the work can be done
with less money than after the infia-
ton of currency that must come
when the banks issue that billion dol
lars to help Uncle Sam furnish the
people with medium of trade.
Hundreds, thousands of laborers
are now thrown out of employment,
trade and business throttled, and even
the few hogs that escaped the cholera
are in danger as soon as they are fat
enough to fry, for hungry senegam
bian will eat what he has not earned
if he can't get a chance to earn what
he eats.
Let the county borrow money for
immediate use, 50 that the debt can
be carried on until long time bonds
can be issued to take up the obliga
tions.
But the word bonds" has a graf
ing effect upon some men, some who
perhaps have gotten used to personal
bonds, of which they are not so
scary. The suggestion is here made
that those of a public character are
easier to get used to than the person
al kind. Long time and low rate of
interest make bonds easy in wearing
and light in burden. If the objection
is raised against "saddling a debt on
my children which may sound all
right to a canting paternal, over-cau
tious, whose talk is mostly interesting
to himself. 1t is pointed out tina
experience has often demonstrated
that bonds are as useful as capital
when used with proper sense.
However, bonds can be discussed
later. For the present let the county
borrow the money and build roads
that must be built now While labor
ers are idle, so that when the time
comes when the mines, mills, factor
les and farms need them they will
be available for them, and not need
ed on the roads when they are needed
everywhere else.
J. r. WILDER.
Al 4