The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-06-24
WEAK ARGUMENTS.

Ridiculous are some of the argu-
ments that have been employed by
the two or three active opponents of
the proposed constitutional amend
ment to allow the State to bond for
roads. One by one these agreements
have been abandoned by opponents
of the proposed amendment.
When discussion of the propc sed
amendment started few weeks ago
it was characterized as "monstrous"
by Col. Peter o. Knight and a few
newspapers, following the colonies
lead, saw the people weighed down
by debt of $20,000,000. the interest
on which would alone amount to ST.
600, 900 a year, and complete ruin
would surely overtake them if the
proposed amendment should be
adopted. 1t never occurred to any of
them that the bends could be issued
as needed, say 100000 at time,
that the interest and sinking fund
would be amply provided for by au-
tomobila license, ard that for every
million the state spent for good
roads Uncle Sam would put up an
other million upon which we would
have to pay no interest and would
never have to pay back. They saw
the progressive people of South Flor
ida, who have already built a con-
siderable amount of good roads, tax
ed TO death to build roads for the I'M
progressive of West and North For
ida and it never occurred to them
that it would be possible to so ar
range matters that South Florida
would get full credit for all the roads
she has built; in fact, they saw moth
ing but the barely possible but not
probable bad features of the PROPOSE
ton. Oh, yes; it is a "monstrous
proposed amendment" all right, as
they presented it.
]. P. Clarkson, formerly secretary
of the State Read Department. has
prepared a statement showing that
by issuing bonds as needed, $1,000
600 every two years, the income from
automobile licenses will pay the in
terest, provide for the sinking fund,
and leave $3,076,127 available for
repairs in 1910, when the last bonds
would become due and be paid, and
the two-mill road tax on real estate
would be unnecessary.
The method of paying interest and
providing a sinking fund rests en-
tirely with TIE legislature, and the
Times-Union pretends to see a men,
ace them, fearing that the legisla
.ture might take a notion to assess all
property for this purpose instead Of
letting auto license taxes take care OF
the sinking fund and interest.
Therein lies the danger to the tax
payers" says the Times-Union.
We know that the number of in
com1etents who are sent to ITALIA
hassee to MAKE laws is not small, but
we believe that the majority of the
men who compose he Legislature are
our bCst-men CT the highest ability,
good judgement and integrity-the
! 0est men of the communities they are
elected to represent-and it is alb
surd to imagine that they would so
contrary to the wishes and best in
terests of their constituents and
place Il tax on real property when the
money is amply provided from an
other source.
The more we learn of and study
the proposition the stronger becomes
our conviction that it is to the best
interests of the people to adopt the
proposed amendment-an we be-
lteyc they are going to do it by
large neutrality-suspicious. Of Col.
Peter O. knight, the Tribune, Times
Union and echoes NOTWITHSTANDING.