Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-19
Good Roads Bonds

| Island county, from taXpayerb view
point, deserve the thanks and support
OF every township and taxpayer in the
county. In opposing the bond issue
being brought up at the polls /
believe they have shown conclusively
| that they hold the interests and well
fare of the whole people OF the county
as trust. 1t is probable they asked
themselves who is IT that Is struggling
| for this bond issue? And why?
| The tax payers are already bur
| dened with taxes. believe the
amount of tax needed for county p'iT-
| poses is something like $4,000. This
bond issue of 100000 payable In rs
| years, If made In 25 equal yearly pay
ments. would mean $4,000 as princi-
! pal each year, and the bond issue boos-
tiers tell US these bonds could be float
| ed at Az per cent per annum. $780,
600 at Az per cent would mean S40.500
| interest for the first year and added to
the first years principal would make
the sum OF S76,500. 1t is possible our
supervisors heard much comment and
dissatisfaction last year when OUT
taxes were raised two-ffths. The bond
advocates tell US II costs this county
about $42, 900 annually to maintain the
county highways at present. That, Of
course, means all Of the country roads.
Should the taxpayers be compelled to
have this bond issue saddled on to
them they would get one or possibly
two main roads in each township. Had
each township its full mileage OF roads
there would be SO miles of road to
each. The amount Of macadamized
road that each township would get
would be but a small part Of all the
roads in the township. So the major
part of the roads would still have to be
kept up by road taxation, and as the
greater part would receive none Of the
bonded money the greater part OF the
S42, 900 now required to maintain roads
would still have to be levied as tax
These macadamized roads would bene-
fit farmers living along them, likely.
but what of the ones who lived from
one to three miles from them, but re-
quired to pay taxes pro rata? 1t is
likely our supervisors considered that
if any auto club or desperately inter
ested parties wished such roads, 1t
would be possible for them to secure
right of way, finance, maintain and
charge toll. They undoubtedly took
into consideration the fact that every
bit OF improvement in Rock Island
county in the way of country transpor-
tation has passed over roads, with the
exception of a very few last years,
infinitely worse than the roads Of to-
day; that the water level is over four
feet lower throughout the county than
few years ago, and that the ground
is constantly becoming dryer and in
better shape to maintain natural good
roads without this enormous debt;
that we now have from 101s to IL
months in each year in which 1t is
possible to move such loads as trac-
ton engines and outfits weighing many
tons over with very little or no trou-
BILE; that the so-called good roads are
not permanent good roads, but the up
keep of such roads entails a yearly
expense often as great as the present
yearly expense of maintaining the
dirt road bed.
They evidently asked themselves,
in answer to the statement made
by the good roads boosters; that
good roads will make farm land
higher, who wants farm lands higher
priced? The renter? It's question
how they manage to live and pay the
rents now demanded. The owner, who |
owns a home? Decidedly no! High |
er priced land means higher taxation.
a thing few of us fancy. The specu- |
lator? No. there is but little specula- |
ton in land that is at top price, and
but small rate of interest on money in |
vested after expenses and repairs are
kept up. Then 1t must be the farmer |
who figures on selling, but there are
two parties to each land conveyance, |
the buyer and the seller, and surely |
it is not the buyer who wants land !
higher in price. Then it is just the !
seller, and if he wishes il, it is for a /
selfish reason only. So ] fancy our !
friends who handled the good roads !
question so ably must have been |
awake to the fact that the higher
priced land suggestion was Haunted |
through our county by the man who |
had an axe to grind. The good roads
advocate told us it was wise and just
to levy this tax for macadamized |
country roads on our children. II is
evident our qualified supervisors con-
sidered that an injustice, that the child
has right to be born free; that the
parent has no just right TO hamper
or burden or enslave his offspring in
any way. This is free country, and
we have no right to put any in bond
age. ever our children. Then our sup
ervisors must have recognized the fact
that 1t is good plan to- pay up old
debts before contracting new ones, in
making their decision.
And who are the principal advocates
in this question our supervisors have,
in justice to the represented town
ships. turned down? How much are
they using the country highways?
Why so much time and effort expended
IN an effort to induce taxpayers Of the
county to shoulder tais burden? These
are likely questions for nrivafa onin.