The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-10-04
That State Bond Scheme.


over the proposition of Mr.. William Hur
aillyer, an Atlanta capitalist, and Attorne
Hooper Alexander to have the legislator
hastily convened in extraordinary session
and the state bonded for an indefinite nun
Der of millions of dollars for the purpos
IF extending the states railroad to the sea
The News is not prepared to say whethe
he road should be extended or not. 1t
4 big question, one that demands and re
Iuires investigation and thought by GU
,blest and most patriotic men. But GU
Macon contemporary has ideas on the sub
ect, especially this newest of propositions
It sees ga niger in the woodpile," AM
alks about him in a very frank, and, w
night say, distressful manner 1t says:
To Jump up on the people of this
state proposal to issue bonds-the IN
terest on which will be real money to
come out of the taxpayers pockets and
the principal of which the state must
pay back some time or keep on paying
Understanding into many millions
of dollars by calling a hurried extra
session to take advantage of freak
law making election of the justices OF
the peace a general election suttl-
cient to pass a statewide bond issue,
and to vote on the bonds by December,
is rushing things through in such
hurry that the haste, besides being in
decent, is profoundly suspicious. The
salesman who is in too much of hurry
to get his customers name signed to an
order form generally has a gold brick
to deliver, and the order form is gener-
ally concealed but nonetheless iron
clad negotiable note.
This business of trying to nveigle the
state of Georgia into mOrtgaging itself
for many additional millions to build
fresh "folly" to be monumentalized by
a bankrupt and insolvent railroad is
thoroughly disreputable. The lowest
estimate to be given of the cost of this
extension is ten millions. Experienced
railroad men, who have built railroads
for private masters, who watch every
dollar that goes out, tell us it will take
anywhere from thirty to fifty millions
if it is built as modern railroad, safe
and economical as to operation, should
it be built The men who glibly propose
these ten million dollar bond issues
must know this. If they don't they
have no standing in court because they
have not informed themselves as to the
situation they are arguing.
To build this FL Dorado of Georgia
railroads will cost at least twenty mil
lions. Interest on this at four per cent,
the proper price for state bonds, comes
to the nice little sum of 100000 each
and every twelve months or just double
what the state road gets from its pres
ent much magnifed and going railroad!
Eight hundred thousand dollars a
year-one per cent on the total tax re-
turns of the state of Georgia for one
year!
Eight hundred thousand dollars a
year-one-fifth of the entire cash paid
into the state treasury during the year!
Eight hundred thousand dollars a
year-enough to pay three times the
school teachers we now have, and in
crease our school efficiency one hun
dred per cent!
Eight hundred thousand dollars a
year-for what? A mortgage on the
state of Georgia, secured by useless,
valueless railroad so that twenty mil
lion dollars worth of bonds may be is
sued-bonds that must be paid and that
to pay the bare interest on we would
have to shut up our school houses, close
down our agricultural schools, nail up
the doors of the state university and
Tech-in short, go out of business as a
state, or go into quick and immediate
UdIhIupCCN!
And all this for why? The reason
doesn't appear quite clear.
But the Telegraph doesn't expect thi
cheme of such magnificent proportions t
e put through, and has very good, cor
incing reason for its belief, which it state
S follows:
The entire state may get down on
its knees this autumn Sabbath morn
ing and thank Almighty God that in
this day and time the people of Bibb
county have seen fit to send back to
the general assembly of the state of
Georgia the Honorable Joe Hill Hail.
Watchdog of the Treasury" they
call him. Well, this same crowd know
the grizzled old veteran of the assem-
bly, floors. Hooper Alexander knows
bly, floors, and fear him. Everywhere
the form of the despoiler of the states
resources and money, whether deliber-
ately conceiving evil or laundering
into it, sinks and shrinks when that
grim figure, those uncompromising
eyes, that gruff and potent voice, all
swing into action on the floor of the
house.