The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-03-09
THE ROAD TAX ELECTION.

to determine whether the rs per cent
levy lately made by the County
court for road purposes will be sus-
tanned.
If the levy is upheld the effect will
be to commit the county to the
work-house system of road improve
ment, not merely for the ensuing year
but for some time to come; for a
change would be quite expensive af'
ter the purchase of stock, tools and
machinery necessary to carry on the
work on the scale proposed by the
advocates of the work-house system.
If the levy is defeated the way will
be left open for the people to instr
tute a general system of road i'm
provement, later on, by the issuance
of bonds. We are of the opinion
that the work-house method is not
the best one, and that the levy
should be defeated.
If Washington County is to retain
her place in the march of progress
she must have good roads, not ten
or fifteen years hence but now. The
work-house method is necessarily
a slow one. Only small part of the
needed system can be constructed
each year. The results will be slow,
and we will be left behind by pro-
gressive counties who follow more
modern methods and have their en-
tire system in operation within a
short time. Many people will pay a
heavy tax for years without receiv-
ing any appreciable benefits; while a
general system of roads, all begun to-
gether and completed within limited
period, will be of more or less bene-
fit to every section of the county.
This will be true even if the general
system does not bring road to ev-
cry mans door; for when the main
thoroughfares are completed they
will be used more or less by all, be-
sides bringing, indirectly, rich re-
suits to everyone by increase of trade
and of property values and of general
prosperity.
On the other hand the work-house
plan offers no definite system of
roads located in advance, but leaves
the matter open for constant fric-
ton, dissatisfaction and other COM
plications as new roads are located
from time to time.
Roads built piecemeal and not
macadamized at once deteriorate very
rapidly, so much of the work has to
be done over when they are finished,
causing added cost. This piecemeal
work will be the natural result of To-
cal iealousies which will demand that
each section have some work doe
before any particular section has it's
roads completed. And if an attempt
is made to complete the roads of one
locality before going elsewhere it
will give an unfair advantage to
those first served Far better to fol-
low method for the building at one
time of a general system of general
public advantage,
1t is a poor argument to say that
by consenting to bond issue the
voter is placing burden on the
county for his children to pay. The
bonds can be paid off after fifteen
years if desired; and while they may
thus not be paid off until later, the
accumulation of the sinking fund for
this purpose begins at once and is
constantly piling up, with accrued
interest, against the time of payment.
Even if the children of today do, as
the property-holders of tomorrow.
have to pay some part of these bonds,
they will, today, be getting the bene-
fit of the roads; and they will still
be getting these benefits when, later
on, they take the places of their par
ents as taxpayers. Such property as
they inherit will come to them en-
HANGED in value by these very roads;
and the tax burden will be shared by
new industries that will come to us
by reason of the improved roads.
Last but not least, the present
generation of taxpayers will, them
selves, get some of the benefits of the
taxes they pay.
The tendency in some quarters to
decry the opposition to the work
house levy as sectional or selfish
movement is to be deplored. 1t has
no such origin, but is in the interest
of all parts of the county. This is
true notwithstanding opposition to
the levy is strong in Johnson City. If
citizens of otrer parts of the county
will study the situation they will
realize as do we that the prosperity
of Johnson City is bound up with
that of other parts of the county;
that as the county prospers the city
prospers. and as the city prospers
the county prospers. Viewed even
from a selfish standpoint, Johnson
City's interest lies in promoting the
welfare of the country around.
We are all one people. Those who