Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-12
100000 BOND
ISSUE EXPLAINED
At COAL VALLEY
nood Roads Boosters Address
Enthusiastic Audience in
Mining Community.
ADVANCE GOOD ARGUMENTS
Pill Mitchell, States Attorney F. {.
Thompson and Mayor NJ. r.
Carlson Make Addresses.

The gospel Of Good Roads Now
vas preached with telling effect be-
core : good sized audience last even
ing q, Coal Valley, in one OF the best
r. the series OF meetings being held
rr,dsr the auspices OF the Rock Island
County Highway improvement associa-
ron. fer the purpose OF arousing in
,erest in a SI,OGJ. 900 bond issue for
mad betterment-
Postmaster Thomas Murphy presid-
81 If the session. which was attended
hv about $50 people. Phil Mitchell.
uresident OF the association, was the
f-st speaker and thoroughly explained
the bond issue proposition. claiming
that Il was the only feasible plan for
a comprehensive improvement of the
roads OF the county that had yet been
suggested.
The county is spending the sum
{. about $4,000 a year on its roads
and what have we got?" he asked.
The highways are not much improved
over what they we're 30 years ago. We
have attempted to drag the roads a
little. but this is temporary relief at
the best The roads 10 be kept Al
shape must be dragged after every
rain and this means time, money and
labor. The cost OF maintenance Of
dir, roads Is heavy but after hard sur
faced roads have been built, the ex-
pense Of repairing them is reduced to
the minimum.
I'VE want coed roads now. We have
waited all our lives for them, but
there is no improvement. We are ad-
vocating a reasonable financial plan
that Will give us what we have long
desired. II is right that pOstGity
should help pay for the roads. We
are building the highways for their
use as well as our own.
The fact is in Rock Island county.
the city people will have to pay %
per cent OF the burden OF the big bond
issue We propose, while the people in
the country will have TO psy but q
per cent Ought the farmers to OBJ
Jet 10 the cost under these condi-
tons? The board OF supervisors have
already designated ri miles of main
roads TO be improved. The work can
be done in three years under our plan.
~ LII y 2 v ant EOg ~ ~ ID ~ Ai4SlA ut
your supervisor 10 vote to have the
bend issue submitted to a vote OF the
people"
Cost Is Little.
That the cost to each individual tax
payer. il the bond issue carries, will
be so slight as TO be beneath consid- |
-atioa, was a point emphasized by !
0tate's Attorney F. e. Thompson. He |
quoted figures to show just what the |
expense would be for some of the |
prominent farmers of Coal Valley /
township. Among the, men mentioned |
was Thomas Lees, who has 120 acres |
and who will have to pay 1856 a year
Tor ~ years.
RS just merely question OF
wanting good roads now" said Mr..
Thompson. Don't let anyone tell yo1
% vote against the bond issue be-
;ause it is expensive. In the past 10
rears Rock Island county has spent
$4,000 on its roads. In another 10
ears the total will nearly reach $780,
100. which is just 100000 under the
million dollar issue we propose. In
pending this vast sum in the slip
nod manner we are doing at present,
WAT are we getting for our money?
there any permanent improvement
Z the roads?
The people in the city are forced
o pay for pavement by direct taxation,