The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-06-20

The Times is pleased to print the
following from the Arcadia Valley
Enterprise of last week. We cannot
help feeling thankful to Bro. Pigg for
thus expressing his thoughts regard
ing the million dollar good Sroads
bond issue for which this paper has
been struggling since the present edi-
tor assumed control, three and a-half
years ago. That the Enterprise does
not wholly agree with US is entirely
immaterial. 1t is unreasonable to ex-
pect all to thoroughly agree with any
proposition that could possibly be ad-
vanced. But we do feel obligated to
Bro. Pigg for his views in the matter,
thus fully and candidly expressed. In
order to put the matter up squarely
to Times readers, we reproduce in
full the comment from the Enterprise,
together with few ideas of our own,
which to the writer's mind indicates
that Bro. Pigg's conclusions are not
altogether correct. The following is
from the Enterprise:
"We note that there is a PROPOSE
tion on foot, or perhaps better say
suggestion, in st. Francois county, to
bond that county in the sum of one
million dollars to construct roads. 1t
was incidentally stated that the great
lead companies would have to pay the
taxes. As matters over there are and
have been going during the last DO
years this is correct, but there is
such thing as killing the goose that
lays the golden egg, and that very
thing was done in st. Francois county
about forty years ago. Iron Noun
tain works were in full blast at that
time and had on hands big stack of
pig iron, held we suppose for better
prices. The assessor came along and
valued the iron. The company said
it could not pay the rate and live. The
officers of the iron company went be-
fore the board or equalization for re-
lief, but were turned down. The Of
ficers announced that they would close
down the furnaces and would never
make another pig of iron, and it was
so. II the great lead companies of
st. Francois county continue they
can be made to pay the bill, but as all
who care to know that history is re-
peating itself. The great lead COM
panies seriously objected last fall that
the amount of their taxes were too
great, but we do not know that the
price of lead in New York is $3.50 per
100 pounds and that the companies
have been paying big wages. The
point is, suppose that the million
dollars bonds are voted, and the COM
panies should suspend, as they most
surely some day will do, and the re-
naming property of the county be
forced to pay the taxes, it is no trou
BILE to foresee the serious consequence
es. We are not discouraging the con-
struction of good roads, but are sound
ing a caution while we believe there
is change for the better the schem-
ers are watching for just such chanc-
es, and in the past have managed to
get much of the money, without Civ
ing the full value received, We would
like to hear from somebody in a po-
siton to honestly and intelligently
speak for the companies"
1t is true that in the fight The
Times has been making for million
dollar good roads bond issue for st.
Francois county, during the past sew
eral years, this paper has been abso-
lutely frank in saying that the great
lead companies would be called upon
for about 80 per cent of the payment
of such bonds. This is fact, which
we had no desire or intention to con-
ceal. The management of the diff
ferent lead companies appreciate that
fact, as do the people of this county
generally. But this paper also claims,
as it has repeatedly shown in the past,
that tn great lead companies are not
now, and have not in the past, been
assessed penny more than their just
and equitable proportion of taxes.
The Times has in the past repeatedly
attempted to show, and believes it
has succeeded, that the rate of taxa
tion that has been levied against the
corporations could, in all fairness to
them, have been increased, rather than
lowered.
The Enterprise carries US back for
period of 40 years, to the time
when mining at Iron Mountain, also
in this county, was in full swing, and
speaks of an apparent over-assess-
ment by the assessor of this county
of some pig iron that company was
holding, resulting in a disagreement
which eliminated in the closing of
those mines permanently, thereby
"killing the goose that lays the gold
en- egg" Reverting to that episode Of
forty years ago carries us back far
beyond our knowledge of events in
this county, but we are willing to ad-
nit that all the Enterprise states in
regard to that matter is true. In that
connection, however, it is matter of
history that the stockholders in the
mining activities at Iron Mountain
years ago cleaned up many millions of
dollars in dividends, which is not at
all bad as business proposition. Is