The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1920-07-16
The County Judge Replies.

The County Judge Replies
notice in an issue of this paper
of date July 9Th, an article Why
Can't We Have Our Roads Improved?'
which article was signed "A Tax
payer and it is the intention of this
article to answer that Taxpayer
through the columns of this paper
as / cannot do 1t personally for the
reason that l do not have the remotest
idea as to who wrote it, and another
reason is that its author might think
was answering it for a personal rea-
son, and another is II is due the people
to know why certain conditions exist
If did not answer it | would certain
ly be branded as a Moral Coward,
thing 1 have not yet, to my knowl-
edge, been accused of.
You will notice in the article that
he repeated that he was sorry and
for the world would not say anything
that would ruffle the feelings of any
county official" Now, 1 will be Just
as courteous as he and say that
have never been guilty. nor can If be
truthfully said of me. that have
ever knowingly or intentiOnly insulted,
publicly or privately, any one, nor
would be guilty of such an offense
nor do 1 know that this Taxpayer
meant this as an insult. My private
opinion is that he used his tongue
instead of his head, and am address,
ing this article TO the people and ask
them to read II in its entirety and
draw their own conclusions as to
whether / am trying to do my duty
When came into office two and one
half years ago there was new bond
issue of $5O,0O0.00. all told. that had
rightfully and justly been levied Iy
the former court for the purpose OF
paying of old judgments and outsttnd
ing claims; some of which had BEEN
allowed by all the courts for at least
twenty years back and had never
been taken up and there was no ntf-1
er way by which to pay them These
bonds drew 1-2 per cent interest pay
able semi-annually and each year cE.e
of said bonds were to be taken up and
| il has fallen to our lot ito be the hrst
to nay any of this interest or take up
any of these bonds. We will have paid
| at the end of this year S109s5-0O an
them. a drain upon us that no other
Fiscal Court ever had to contend with
AT the end of the first year Of M
administration the roads of tte coun-
~ were in as good condition as they
were formerly for prices of material
and labor were normal. Now I am not
going to use that word that most ev-
erybody tries to hide behind when
speaking of the high cost Of living. bur
will Just say that this late "Univer-
| sal UnpIeasantness" grabbed us,prices'
OF material and labor SCARED and is
vet soaring: not only that. but for the
] reason of the great development that
| is now going on in the county. farm
ers are unable to get help on their
farms without paying two ar three
and in many instances four times the
lprice they paid two years ago Labor
| that we could get two and one bali
years ago for $3.50 per day now cost
us. when we can get it at all, $500 =
| s.. 90 per day. Teams that were then
begging for work at $500 to S5-10 per
1 day now laugh at you for an offer OF
less than $500 or $500 per day. Al
men that will work have got job
and all teams that are of any account
Il have all the work they want and the
i proposition of getting teams or men is
next to impossible. We have had,
however. one or two good teams and
linen and we kept them as long as we
Lccssld.
The cost of material three wears ago
and now has very materially changed
Culvert material, tile that IS large
enoughsxto give any service. runs in
price from S1.O0 to 400 per joint,
metal culverts large enough TO give
any service at all ranges from $1-15
per foot 10 SI3.I6 per foot: lumber that
could be bought three years ago for
S25 and $50 per thousand now costs
!, from $50 to $50 per thousand in adj
dition to its delivery.
And in view of the fact of these alb
normal prices of material and labor,
taxes. up until this year and which
have not been collected. have not in
creased one cent, neither~has the $50
miles OF road in this county lost any
of its length. and there is Just as many
bridges and culverts now as there was
three years ago and two more for we
have built two, new bridges at an ap-
proximate cost of $500. have given
y 10 the people a vote twice upon 20
cent road tax and they very promptly
voted il down both times And yet
I MIR. Taxpayer" you who proposes TO
have the taxpayers of the county. both
Democrats and Republicans. TO work
out some plan by which the roads can
be. made passable'' you who would
throw us out of office and elect some
real progressive man" what can you
expect in view of all OF thisg If you
can lind some man or set of men that
can make roads out of rain water and
mud and without labor or material or
funds necessary; if you can find some
!. MOSES. as it We're. say Amen"
BRING him forth and we will be ticlled
to death to discuss the proposition
with him,
mir. Taxpayer il YOU would care 10
investigate l think YOU win find that.
in radius of eight or ten miles a.
round Louisa, and within the last year
and half. transportation has lncfeas-
ed 500 per cent and this has been OF
the very heaviest OF machinery. II
YOU win remember back eight months.
you win remember that we had a very
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