Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-05-14
ROAD BOND BOOSTER MEETING
HAS ANTI-BoND SENTIMENT

-a0litdlt Viz hC 1tOdQ
meeting at Macleay was well attended,
about $50 being present and although
it was supposed to be booster meet
ing it was turned into an anti-bond
meeting.
w. A. Taylor of Macleay called the
meeting to order and introduced Mr..
Seymour Jones as the first speaker.
Mr.. Jones said in part
That the bonds represent only . per
cent of the actual assessed valuation Of
Marion county, or really per cent of
the time value and as such is a mere
bagatelle. The bonds will draw per
cent interest and he asserted no in
dividual could get money at that nor
no individual would care to lend at
that He said it has been falsely as.
serted that bankers will get half which
is false on the face of it.
He took considerable time explaining
the bond issue and finally said that
the bond issue only represented $500
on the $1,000, or very slight encum-
brance and there is not man who
doesn't spend five times that amount
and yet they say the tax is high.
He said this scheme is the only feas-
ible way to get roads as the old way
has proved failure as a few built good
roads under the old regime, anL others
do nothing, so we have an irregular
mass without system. The people of
Macleay get a road and should be for
the bond issue and he can I under.
stand why any of them should oppose
He said some oppose bonds because
the road does not pass tneir home but
that is rot fair, as while they may not
derive as much benefit as the man on
the road still they viii be benefited.
He said Macleay had done practically
nothing in the way of building roads
and the people were travelling good
loads butt by some one else every time
thev went to Salem.
He said there never had been per.
feet system Of taxation derived and
all could not be suited; that all through
life We must compromise and every
law is compromise and as the county
court had laid out plan of roads we
should accept it as the best obtainable
and give in for common good.
He said it had been falsely stated
that the roads, If built, would be gone
in inside the tive ty years. This is
not true as there are many roads ex.
listing today built years ago and these
roads will ht kept up.
He said if Marion county grows ON
at the same rate of gain it has made
that in five years we can issue more
bonds and still be proportionately no
more in debt than she will be when
these bonds are issued.
He referred to the sentiment against
saddling debt onto the coming gener.
alton and said that the assets would be
so great that the debt would amount to
nothing and as it could not be more
than | per cent of actual valuation he
would gladly take any obligation on
those terms.
He said in closing that only one man
can have his own way absolutely and he
must be on a desert island aud he
would try continually to get away to
mingle with his kind, so we had best
all try to yield for common good.
He offered to answer questions and
there followed volley of questions
and it is only just to say he answered
ably and well so far as he had knowl
edge, and when at one time some one
ashamed to rise asserted he was getting
paid for what he said, he became angry
and retorted in way that squelched
/ the party and yet was careful what he
said so as not to offend ladies, that
all present were convinced that he at
least is working for the bonds gratis.
There was considerable talk about
what would be done with present good
I roads along the routes to be improved
and no one could answer.
1t was asserted that it cost $4,000
per mile to build the fair ground road,
and it is only maeadam at that.
Some one asked is some of this fund
would not have to go for extra clerk
hire and extra specials and thus cut
down the amount available to build
roads. He did not know.
The benef was expressed time and
again that the roads can't be built at
the figures stated if they have to tear
up present roads to lay new ones.
They asked the cost of macadam road
eight feet wide and he said he ddn t
know, but believed the roads could be
built inside the estimate as the county
court had said they could
Some of the questioners resorted to
personalities and cutely turned remarks
and there was much applause to the lat
ter that it was hard to get all that was
said.
Some one said the asylum road cost
81 800 and it is good enough so why
spend all the money on few roads. lie
replied that the county court had made
the estimate and apportioned the money
and so it must be right.
There was quite demonstration ask
ing for Mrs. Waldo so she arose amid
applause and was introduced by the
| chairman.
She asserted she has made 100 road
talks and all of them gratis and while
this road through Macleay goes one
mile through the Waldo farm she is
opposed to it because the building Of it
necessitates ineurring debt and she is
opposed to debt on principal, al least
avoidable debt
She said Mr.. Jones tried to make it
appear it is better to be in debt and
have few good roads than be free from
debt and have roads that can be trav-
eled. We should pay as we 60 as we can