The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1916-07-27


twenty town'hips. found it necessar.
10 bond for $4,000 in order to aav,
the necessary main line roads har,
/ surfaced. and to give the people in tn
eastern end Of that district an cutie,
How, then. can district (, with TWEEN
ty-siX townships, expect 20 have road.
without bond issue?
Using Mr.. Whitten's argument Ar
cadia needs roads 70 the populate,
sections. and the populated section,
likewise need roads 10 Arcadia. Bus
ine's intercourse demand, these ar
terieS II travel. and the fact ,tares Il.
In the face that It Is absolutely impps
SihIe 10 have them withou, a bond Is,
sue, and, considering the size Of the
territory and profting 10y the exper.
fence Of districts one, three and five
this section will require a bond issue
Of not less than 100000.
II Mr.. Whitten's district had the
best system Of hard surfaced roads in
the world, it would do his people no
good. 50 far as travel from the north
Il ms is concerned. unless district No q.
4 built the connecting link, and. un.
der the present arrangement. this link
can only be built and maintained at
the expense Of roads elsewhere in the
district As stated above we want this
link, and we also want other roads
We want a road To the eastern end
Of this district.
4 cro-S-statc road from Arcadia
east will not work to the disadvantage
Of our neighbur> # the south. ana we
feel that we should receive the same
encouragement from them in our en-
dcayorS that we gave them in theirs,
and we believe that Mr.. Written Is la
boring under a miSapprehension, for
we know him TO be fair minded and alb
solu;cly honest, and public spirited
TO an unusual degree. In fact. during
our acquaintance with him. we have
come 10 regard him very highly.
Now, 50 far as the News is concern.
ed, we don't care whether the road
east from Arcadia, or the road south
from Arcadia is designated the Dixie
Highway, so long as we actually have
a good, hard surfaced road in both di-
rcctions. We are not quihhlers for the
name 10 bee tackled 10 the road east, 50
long a. Arcadia is on the main line Of
the Dixie Highway. and we really be-
licyc that the larger part Of the travel
from the north If rs will 20 south via
Punta Gorda and Fort Myers. Arcadia
Is not responsible for the official des-
iuatlon Of the Dixie Highway: that
prcrogatlve belongs to the Dixie Iii Oh
way Association.
We are frank TO say that we do not
believe that the people are satisfied
with the road from district . to dis.
trict 3. through district /. and in say
ing this we do not hclittle the achieve
ment If Major Welles in making it as
good as it is. 1t is infinitely better
than an almoS; impossible sand streak,
as 1t once was but It /, not Of a char.
actcr to Withstand the heavy travel of
the national highway. Repairs VIII
soon amount to reconstruction, and
even then. nothing is left for the re-
Of the district.
If it were possible for any man to
build good roads over this district on |
an s-mill levy we believe that Major |.
Wclles could iii the bill, but it Is all
solutely impossible SO 10 do, and III
has been demonstrated 10 US. As we
have said before in these columns. Ma |
.or Welles has built a surprising mile
age Of roads Of more or less durable /
'haracter vita the regular road levy
Of this district, hut the commission.
RS can now, as you know, levy only
I mills, instead Of the 10 mills levied /
'rior to last year, and this 90 per cent.
'cduction In millage is not balanced by
20 per cent. increase in valuation
n fact, the total levy for 1916 is lit.
lie less than for 1915, as a result Of
mredeemed lands not being liable to
Now, Mr.. Written. In conclusion.
re want you and all the COOL people
4 district 3 to speak a good word for
ur proposed bond issue. Don't throw
ny checks in the way. Let us have
our sympathy and help, as far as pos
ible. to give the people OF our district
God roads, and to connect district five{
o district three with first-class, hard
urfaced road, which will not leave the
raveler to think that this district is
lhabited by people who are altogeth-
r LACKING in tho snirif % ,,roaraa.