Baxter Springs news., 1919-06-27
GlEENls Gu|M
ISPURE BUNK
To Run Concrete ROad a. She
Would Have Il Would Be I'm
practical and Expensive
TO the County

The Galena Times Of Friday in q
very cleverly written article under
takes to support the action Of the Ga
lena hackers Of the proposed Galena-
Hoover concrete road by some flag
rantly misleading statements.
The Times says that naturally
there Ia strong feelings being develop
ed both for and against the project" /"
The Times is exactly right in that
respect. The feeling growing up in
the county against saddling thousands
Of dollars of taxes onto the people alb
Bplutely to no purpose, IL mighty
strong and more than that, It Is grow
ing stronger.
There is absolutely no occasion for
routing the road as Galena proposes
except to crafty the selfish whims Of
Galena people who imagine that with
the road they might draw q little more
trade from the farming section
through which the road would run.
The road would not connect up with
any other community in the way that
would justify the expenditure Of ap-
proximately $1SS,OOO for the new
bridge that would be required in cross
ing Spring river at its widest point.
Il would not make q better cOnnec-
tion between Galena and Columbus,
the county seat, because q shorter and
better route has already been prOvid-
ed by way Of Crestline.
The road from Galena straight west
to the Hoover road would not accom-
modate one-third the number of peO-
pie or amount Of traffic that would
find use for q concrete road as orig
inally proposed, from Galena to Low
ell, thence to Baxter and then west
over the Chetopa road.
This road would accommodate not
simply Baxter Springs, but also all Of
the extensive mining traffic that
comes from the territory between
Baxter and Picher and south Of Bax-
ter.
The Times seeks to misiead the tax
payers Of the county, to whom the
question Of bonding the county for the
$1SS,OOO bridge Galena proposes
would eventually have to be referred,
by telling them that they will get the
bridge for nothing.
That is the coarsest of bunk, for It
matters not in what way the funds are
raised, If they should be raised, the
taxpayers have to pay It in the end.
The assistance Of the federal govern
ment, as this paper understands the
law, Is limited to $4,000 per mile and
the bridges must be built out Of that.
The road itself will cost $4,000 per
mile at least. There are eleven miles
of road, we believe. Supposing half
Of the difference between $4,000 q
mile and $4,000 a mile for eleven
miles might be saved to be used in
building the bridge. That would
make only $4,000 Of Government aid
that might be expected in building q
bridge that already is estimated to
cost $1SS,O00. The balance, or at least
$3.50, 900 would have to be paid by the
tax payers of the county. Can it be
that the commissioners are so short
sighted as to endorse such a foolish
of public funds? It is
The Galena paper speaks Of $41, 900
Joplin aid. That, also, is misleading,
for already the largest contributors Of
the Joplin road fund raised to aid a
mining road have served notice that
they intend to pull down their contri-
buttons unless the concrete road Is
run through the mining district. They
are not Interested, they say, in con-
Meeting Galena with the wheat fields.
Property owners should beware Of
The Galena propaganda. Il is selfish
and misleading, and Il II were success-
full It would greatly increase the taxes
that already are hiRh.