Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-08-31
TAX PAYERS LEAGUE


The Tax Payers League movement.
which caused so much stir last April
and May, appears to have about
petered out. 1t never got up much
steam in Audubon County. Our far
mers are too level headed to be
"buncoed" out of dollar each by a
bunch of promoters who pocket the
lions share of membership fees and
appropriate the rest for alleged ex-
penses incurred while travelling and
loafing around the best Des Moines
hotels.
The appeals of some of these lea
que promoters are as perfervid as
were ever uttered by a paid lawyer.
Here is a sample.
81 call upon the taxpayers of ---.---.
County to meet and organize in
defense of their homes and the future
rights of our children. Fellow Citi
zens, hard roads will mortgage our
homes and place a debt upon our
children that will be worse than the
war debt of Europe. Let us swear
political death to all grafters and all
candidates that favor the paving of
our public highways. Citizens Of 1890.
........county, let us meet Saturday,
| April 8, at --.---.--.-....-. Let us fight for
our homes"
The call was signed by a man who
lives in town and whose name does
not appear on the current assessors
book of his home taxing district.
The debt peril. so glowingly de-
picted. has lost it's soaring qualities
because it is becoming generally
known that no candidate for the leg
islature any where in any party,
favors paved roads. Both candidates
for State Senator in this district and
both candidates for member of the
House, in Audubon County, have pub
licly declared their opposition to
paved roads, and both the Republican
and Democratic candidates for Cover
nor say they are opposed to paved
roads.
Upon the proposition Of road bonds
the Republican platform declares as
follows:
"We are opposed to any bond issue
for the purpose of paying for the
hard surfacing of roads, either by
state, county, township or road dis
trict, except by consent of the parties
who are to be taxed therefor, or in
case of emergency"
All the candidates upon the Re-
publican ticket stand upon this plat
form.
In this connection, it should not be
overlooked that the constitution of
Iowa prohibits any county from going
in debt in excess of five per cent of
it's assessed valuation. How silly it
sounds, therefore, to talk about a
debt Worse than the war debt of
Europe" The Average farm in Audi
bon county, We believe. is assessed
at less than sixty dollars per acre.
Five per cent of this assessment
would be $500 per acre. If divided
up into ten annual payments, or say
ten years bonds, it would be thirty
cents per acre each year.
The average county in Iowa is pay
ing annually 5 mills for bridges, 3
mills for county roads and are receiv-
ing automobile taxes equivalent to
about 2 mills more, making a total of
10 mills or l per cent annum we are
expanding upon the county road and
bridge system. In five years we pay
out so mills for roads and bridges
without touching a cent of the town
ship taxes. so mills is per cent. so
that our present county highway and
bridge tax for five years would pay
off every debt, floating or bonded,
that possibly can be incurred for all
purpose in any county.
1t is not our purpose to advocate
a bond issue for any purpose, but
merely to show the sophistry of the
fellows who are trying to fool the
farmers.
The "buncoe" game never got
much foothold in Audubon County
and We congratulate our farmers on
their good sense and level-headness.
80
The Crescent Theatre for high class