The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1915-07-01
L. M. Oaks on Good Roads.

dividual interest or on the inter
est OF those people of like situa-
ton or circumstance to himself.
Mems opinions freqently change
as their interests change. Take
my friend Clark, of Belmont. for
example. Remove him to some
point west of Mackey's Greek.
eleven miles from the nearest
point of the pike road and / will
stand him cold drink that he
will not be an ardent supporter Of
bond issue.
In my remarks on this road
question, it is not my desire or
intention to impeach the honesty
of anyone's opinion; but it makes
all the difference in the world
whose OK is gored. | feel that
everyone has a right to his opin-
ion without its being attributed to
ignorance, prejudice or selhshness,
as the gentleman intimated in one
article. 1t seems to me the sell
fishness, if any, is in those peo-
pie who live along the line of this
proposed road, and who, at some
time, would use the road either
tor pleasure or profit, to be will
ing to tax the other nine enths of
the population who live so remote
from the roads that they would
never haul a load on these roads or
even see them until they get to
market; for the proposed roads
and our markets are at the same
place. Not only willing to tax
those unfavorably situated, but
they are willing to tax future gen
erations for their own immediate
pleasure. We would all like to
leave heritage for our children.
but for Gods sake let us not leave
it in the form of a bonded indebt-
edness. Satan's strongest argu-
ment to sin cursed world for six.
thousand years has been pleasure
today at the expense of the future.
The gentleman says, We feel
that it would be our part at least
to enlighten the people along this
line" for one do NOT believe
the people, as a rule, are igno-
rant, but they are too busy trying
to earn enough money to pay their
ever increasing taxes to do as much
thinking as they should; the result
is they frequently have schemes
run over them which are not to
their interest.
| wish to refer to some of the
fallacies set forth, but as papers
get misplaced, shall make no at
tempt to answer them in the or
der in which they appeared, but
just as they occur to my mind as |
pull the bell cord over old Beck's
back. and hop along over the
clods, Eliminating on the enjoy-
able time Brother Hammerly and
Brother Clark expect to have Wis
iting each other in their cars and
return home for supper,
My mind, though, will revert to
the poor man that lives from six
to nine miles from the pike and
has no car, only one old steer
and a cart. As Bill Arp said,
Axle tree all broke, cart without
wheel at all and wheel without a
spoke"
We are told there are 500 miles
of public roads in this county. 1t
is proposed to keep up "a miles at
a cost, Mr.. Neal says, of $50, 900,
but at 81 900 per mile it will be
$538 900. How are the other 416
miles to be kept up? OF course
the po' trash" will have it to do
just as they are doing now. Ev-
cry mile of these roads is worth
more to the people in general than
the whole "a miles of pike.
He says it will take forty cents
per acre to raise this sum. He
further states that if the corpora
tons and foreign land owners will
pay their part, it will take only
twenty cents per acre, but in his |
final calculation, kind reader.
please notice he counted it at fortv
cents, thus clearly showing that
these corporations and land com |
panies are to have no part in the
cost, or else he has discovered
that his first calculation is short
by half, just as | have figured.
He says again that one-ninth of
our land is in cultivation, the 9TH
er eight acres are worthless to us.
Now, Mr.. Taxpayer, the whole tax
must come from the one acre in
cultivation. Forty cents per acre
on nine acres equals $500 for the
one acre in caltivation-the only
one of any value to you. A tax
OF $500 on an acre worth $500 is
As per cent of your available prop
erty. 1t must be remembered this
is to raise $50, 900, but to raise
the $685. 900, will take SAYS on
that acre worth IS. 20. Does that
look good' 1t will only leave YOU
in a hole for - SIS for every acre
you own when the bonds are is
sued.
Il. l.