Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1920-10-26
FavOrs Bond Issue.
ENGINEER HENRY G. SHELLEY
PRESENTS REASONS FOR RAT
flying THE AMENDMENT.

flying THE AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Editor
Being a native and taxpayer of JEFF
ferson County cannot restrain myself
from bringing to your attention and
through you to the people of the coun-
ty the Importance of a favorable vote
for the change of the states constitu-
ton on November End. Much that has
been said and written on this question,
is so foreign to the actual facts that it
is difficult for the voter to determine
the merits of the issue and how he
should vote. The natural trend being
in such cases to vote in the negative.
Therefore | feel that this question
should be clarified for it is a very sim
pie one though momentous one to the
people of the. State and jefferson coun-
ty. 1t will mean whether the state
and the county is to progress and de-
velop as they should or if the people
shall still trod in the ruts and mud
such as burdened our forefathers and
under which they are still laboring
today.
The question to be decided is: Do
you wish to give the Legislature the
right to issue bonds for the improve
ment of your highways, the gross
amount of which outstanding at no
time, shall exceed fifty million dollars :?
That is the question striped of all the
show-window dressings and misrepre-
sentation that have been made. We
all know that the entire fifty million
dollars will not be sold at one time, but
will be issued as needed. All discus
sion as to how these bonds will be is
sued and where the money is coming
from is purely speculative, and antici-
patlng the action of the Legislature.
1t may be raised by tax on gasoline,
an increase in motor license fees or a
direct property tax, but | want to say
to the voters of my native county that
regardless of how this issue is provid-
ed for they will render great service
to their county and state by voting in
the affirmative on this question. 1t
will return four fold for all that it will
cost.
Now, let us go into the details of
exactly how this whole subject will eff
feet Jefferson County, and look the
matter squarely in the face without
prejudice. There has been designated
in Jefferson County system known as
Glass A Roads, consisting of seventy
one miles, and you can count on these
roads being taken over as state high
ways. Under present arrangements
the state, using the automobile license
fees and a fund provided by the Fed
eral Government. contributes to the
county approximately half the cost,
more or less, for the building of these
highways. In Jefferson County to
properly build the seventy-one miles
will cost a total of one million, four
hundred thousand dollars, half of
which would have to be paid by he
county or something like seven hun
bred thousand dollars. In addition to
this under the present system the
county would have to raise at least
five hundred dollars per mile per year
for maintenance or approximately
thirty-five thousand dollars annually,
which would have to be raised by di-
rect property tax in the county, to take
care of these highways. This plus the
interest on the seven hundred thous-
and dollars would make total of
something like seventy-five thousand
dollars per annum that the County of
Jefferson would be required to raise
annually by direct taxes on all prop
erty, plus a sufficient amount to Gre
ate an annual payment to pay off the
bonds within twenty-five to thirty
years.
This would consume all the road
moneys raised and would not leave to
the districts any money to maintain
the other county roads. In my judg-
ment such financing would cause an
enormous tax to be placed on all prop
erty of the county, and in time would
pauperize the people to such an extent
that all development of the roads
known as the county market roads
leading out of the farming districts
would be impossible and these roads
would suffer from lack of mainten-
ance and become impossible which
would effect not only the farmer but
the town and city consumer as well.
Great changes, Mr. Editor, have
come upon this country within the last
ten or fifteen years with such rapidity
that it is necessary for all of us to
wipe the cobwebs, so that we can get
a vision of the conditions surrounding
US at the present time and what we
may expect in the future. In the
state of West Virginia alone there has
been dropped during this period some
thing like sixty thousand motor vehi-
cles, each using the highways any
where from four to six times as much
as horse, or in other words there are
one hundred and eighty million more
miles annually travelled now than there
was fifteen years ago, the roads are
being used to that greater amount.
This traffic is not confined to one coun-
ty but it travels all over the state, and
therefore we see that it is the duty of
the state rather than the county to
take care of this traffic. So. Mr.. Edi-
tor, we must look into this question
not from local standpoint but from
the broad field which it covers and de-
eide it in that manner.
1t is the duty of the state to build
the main highways of the state, con-
Meeting the county seats and centers
of population land the county to build
the county market roads. leading from
the centers of population out into the
farming districts so that the farmer
can market his, crops all seasons of the
year, and will be in close touch with
the market and business centers, as
well as giving the benefits of these
good roads to schools, churches, etc. |
We must take the larger unit of taxa
ton where it can be spread over all the |
corporations, large manufacturing
plants, and many other sources of tax |
alton to provide the money to build |
these highways that are of statewide |
Importance and which will serve the
traffic of the state rather than the
county alone, and leave the county
funds to build the county market roads |
and develop the small local unit to the
point where a good hard road will be
provided for every farm throughout
he county. l cannot conceive how
he people of Jefferson County can af-
ord to vote against this change if
hey wish to progress and have
through the country system of roads
hey should have and which is requir-
ID for the proper development of the
l.. L.