The Ocala evening star., 1915-09-09
MARION OR 3LOXHAM?

precincts 01 LnlS county All ]
election, in which the people will de- |
eide whether they will remain in Mar |
ion or go with a part of Levy to form
new county of Bloxham.
- We do not know how this election
is going. We are confident that if the
people have taken careful thought of
their own welfare, they will remain
in their own county. That the peo-
pie of Northwest Marion have had
grievances, we know. And they know
that the Star has for the past two
years and more voiced their griev-
ances, and insisted that their wrongs
be righted. A strong move in that
direction began before the county
division question came up. 1t is now
in full swing. Much is being done and
more will be-if the county remains
undivided. Of course, if division wins,
the work will stop, and the people of
the separated precincts will have to
look out for themselves.
Why it is that the people of North
west Marion should think they will be
better off in small and weak county
like Bloxham than they will be in a
large and strong one like Marion, we
cannot understand. Human nature is
the same in all counties. In the event
of division, Northwest Marion will
not have the county seat. 1t will be
an annex to Bloxham. 1t will be the
richest part of the county-it will
have to pay the bulk of the taxes. It
will at once have to assume the bur-
dens, and will be last to derive ben
efits. What benefit there will be will
at once go to Williston. The rest of
the new. county will have to wait.
Williston understands that. That is
why she makes the fight.
Williston has insisted that all Mar
ion was being taxed for the benefit of
the county seat. This is untrue. The
tax books show that Ocala pays more
in proportion than the other precincts,
and consequently the county seat
helps the county more than the county
helps the county seat. That is be-
cause Ocala is city of six or seven
thousand people. In Bloxham, on the
other hand, Williston is village one
tenth the size of Ocala. It's taxes viii
not NETS its own proportion of ex-
penses. In Bloxham, truly the county
seat will impose on the county until
the county seat is much bigger than
it is now, and that will be years in the
future.
1t has been the argument of Will
hston that Marion county has been
taxed to build roads around Ocala.
Again this is untrue. All counties
begin their improved roads at the
county seats. Marion's begun at
Ocala eighteen years ago. They have
been building away from the town
for eighteen years. They are far out
in the county, some to the county
lines, and all the others building in
that direction. Ocala money is doing
more than it's share to build them. If
the county is divided, the work will
have to begin over. The people of
Bloxham will have to commence
building roads from Williston out into
their precincts. That will suit Willis
ton, but it will not be good for the
remainder of the county.
The people of Northwest Marion
as we have said, have reason to be-
ieve they have been neglected, but
that they have been has not been the
fault so much of Ocala as of the rest
of the county. In the primary OF
1912, five commissioners were chosen
Of these, only one was from Ocala
Four were in other districts, and the
one chosen to look after the north
west was from Dunnel1on. Very nat
urally, he worked for Dunnellon. This
term, the neglected precincts have
their commissioner, and he is work
ing for them. He is working as eff.
GENTLY as any man in "Bloxham'
could work, and he has behind hin
the resources of a big county. If the
county is divided, all of Bloxham viii
have just about as much resource a.
there is now in the one commission
er's distric represented by Mr.
Hutchins. And after all, Northwes-
Marion has been no more neglected
than other parts of the county. There
are yet hundreds of square miles il
this county that have no improved
roads, and most of them are in the
east and south.
Also, it has been alleged that tn,
county is taxed for 0cala schools
Even a child should know this ISM
true. Ocala has $4,000 worth o.
school buildings, but the Ocala sub
school district pays for them. 1t is
sued bonds for the purpose. Mean
time, Ocala's contribution to the gen
eral fund helps pay common schoo
expenses all over the county. Every
little schoolhouse in a small precinc-
has help from the county schoo
board, but the Ocala district helps th'
board No use in disputing this. TIL,
records show it.
Some of our friends in the north
west have an idea that in going Il
Bloxham they will obtain a new dea
and have dealings with a new set o.