The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-10-28
A REVIEW OF COUNTY BOND
ISSTES

OUU Tor new school buildings, etc, we
are printing below the results of SIM
liar movements in Garrett county
The proposed loan is to be submit
ted to the qualified voters at the gen
eral election to be held next Tuesday.
November I'd. In this connection we
take this opportunity of calling the
attention of our readers to the open
letter to the voters of Garrett county
published elsewhere in this issue of
The Republican, and which is signed
by each of the three members of the
County Board of Education and the
County Superintendent of Schools.
The friends of the proposed loan as
sure us that those voters who become
acquainted with the present urgent
needs in school buildings, etc, the
present financial outlook for the coun-
ty, etc, that such voters pledge their
support to the measure. Further
more, it seems reasonable for the
friends of the loan to believe that the
newly enfranchised women voters are
going to cast their ballots for the best
school conditions possible for the boys
and girls of our county. 1t is reasoned
that poor water or light supply, bad
roads and streets, no sewerage or
other similar health promoting agen-
cies and other defects, important as
they are, affect the voters themselves
they shoulder the evils therefrom;
conditions in the schools affect the
children, who are helpless to remedy
them. This fact is being recognized
today as never before and it is be-
lieved the women voters will join with
many men voters to help improve con-
ditions for the helpless children.
If there is anything in prophecy in
order of events, it appears the loan
may be successful The results were
unfavorable for loan at the general
election held November 8, 1904, "for
purchasing lots and furnishing and
erecting and building a new Court
House and new Jail and furnishing
the same" as is set forth in the table
below; however, the new Jail was i'm
mediately erected by direct taxation,
which many of our citizens well re-
member. The pendulum swung the
other way at the general election held
November 6, 1906, when the voters
ratified a proposed loan 'for the pur-
pose of building and furnishing a new
Court House, the results of which
are also set forth below, there hav-
ing been cast GA votes for the loan
and 1876 against it, the loan being rati-
fled by majority of 118 votes. Then
the pendulum swung the other way
again for a proposed loan of $4,000
was rejected by the voters, as set
forth in the table below, the purpose
of the loan as submitted to the voters
at the general election held Novem-
Der 7, 1916, having been " for the pur-
pose of erecting high school building
in the town of Oakland, furnishing,
heating and equipping the same and
improving other school buildings, Sc
curing land, etc" However the high
school building was erected during
the year of 1918-1919, the funds nee
essary for the same having been Sc
cured from direct county taxation,
which in part explains the present
and past increases necessary in the
county tax rate. So, in the ordinary
course of events, it appears the
friends and advocates of the present
loan are going to have their inning
for a home run.
Many supporters of the present pro-
posed loan contend that wise school
administration requires that school
buildings be built from funds raised
through loans. They state that the
life of modern school building is at
least thirty or thirty-fve years and
that they should not be all paid for at
once; that those who secure the imme-
diate benefits therefrom should help
pay for them by helping to pay off
the bonds; that new settlers and res
idents who come later into the coun-
ty should help pay their cost by help
ing to pay off the bonds; and that such
permanent improvements as school
buildings should not be paid for en-
tirely by the present tax payers,
many of whom by moving away or
selling out in a year or two, will no
longer be required or expected to pay
taxes or to have provided such i'm
provements for new citizens who will
secure the benefits therefrom but who
have not been required to pay one
cent of taxation for their erection.
There are many friends of. public
education, however, who contend that
every needed school building should
be provided and that old, dilapidated,
Anticipated and unfit buildings should
be replaced by modern, suitable struc-
lures and paid for by direct taxation
at the time of their erection. 1t must
L 4 IL L IL