The Mena weekly star., 1921-03-31

Globe Democrat, and with the ap-
 proval of Governor T. c. McRae,
 points to evils that, he says,
 threaten Arkansas with ruin. The
 entire article, together with com
 ment on the states road system
 by Fl. l.. Remmel of Little Rock.
 Republican leader in the state, as
 printed in the Arkansas Democrat,
 are here given:
 Little Rock, March Thousands of Arkansas land owners are today facing financial ruin as result of the enactment of series of so-called good road laws which Governor Thomas G. McRae, the new executive. in conver- sation with the writer, denounced as the most vicious system of special tax ation ever enacted in any state in the Union
 Under these laws, which are known in Arkansas as road improvement" district laws, road commissioners, who have been vested with practically Czar-like authority, have been able to bond road districts in all parts of the state to the point to contain financial disaster, land owners in numerous in- stances being taxed in amounts that equal or even exceed the total gross incomes from the property levied upon.
 Millions of dollars have been ex- pended on roads that in the judicially expressed opinion. of Assistant Justice Hart of the State Supreme court ''be- gin nowhere and end nowhere" the financial burden placed on scores of communities being so tremendous that, in the opinion of Governor McRae, it is doubtful if many of those communi- ties will ever again be free of debt.
 The newspapers barring this situ- ation.' said Governor McRae, in con- versation with the correspondent, twill render not only myself as gov ernor and all the people of Arkansas, but the people of the country generally great service if they show up this road proposition in Arkansas in it's true coiors. Personally, l will say this road business has turned out to be the greatest disaster that has ever befallen the people of Arkansas. The whole thing IS a scandal and a shame and the odor of it reaches to heaven"
 Opposed by Senate.
 The governor pointed out that he had been elected governor on a plat form that pledged reform of the road laws, but added that to date his every effort to force remedial legisla- tion that would have remedied abuses and wherever possible reduce taxation, had been frustrated as the result of the opposition of hostile state sen ate, the membership of which includes many Senators who are holdovers from the Senate that passed the spec ial road district laws under which the state of Arkansas is staggering today.
 Legislation that created a tax bur den that before the end comes may reach the huge total of S100,000, ,000, was passed by previous legislatures. The Arkansas road program called for an expenditure of SAC. .000,000, which, with per cent interest on twenty year bonds, would have meant debt of approximately $200,000,000
 Thru the failure of many road dis trcts to find a market for their bonds thru Legislation forced thru the last legislature and by the very vigorous action of taxpayers in some of the districts, it is now hoped the original financial program can be halved. In one district cited to the correspondent the angry taxpayers marched into a courtroom while the court was in ses- sion and forced the Road Commission CTS to resign at the point of guns.
 The correspondent was sent to Ar kansas to look into the road situation as the result of reports that have been Altering thru to Washington which were to the effect that landowners in Arkansas (only the owners of land are taxed under the road laws) were in the name of good roads being taxed in countless instances almost to the point where the levies amounted to practical confiscation of the properties, that great sums of money were being vast ed on road construction, as, for in- stance, on the Arkansas-Missouri highway project, where a Little Rock grand jury charged a few weeks ago no less than $1 ,000, 900 had been squan- dered.
 Furthermore, these reports allege. as a result of propaganda, the source of which was not disclosed, the tax payers had been led to believe the Fed eral government was a partner on fifty-fifty basis with the state, when as a matter of fact, the federal aid al- lotment to Arkansas is not much more than $5,000,00O of which amount only $500, ,000 Is said to have been paid into state road organizations. The rest of the allotment is still in the govern ment vaults at Washington and there is reason for the statement 1t will re- main there until the present vicious provisions of the existing laws are changed so as to provide an efficient state administration of the road pro- gram as we'll as q reduction in the frightful taxes that threaten to drive so many owners of realty into bank ruptcy. To date none of these re- medial measures, demanded by the officials off tic federal Bureau or High ways. has been realized.
 The writer has visited counties in the eastern, central and western sec tions of the state. Everywhere evil dence of the truth of the reports that came tc Washington was easy to ob- tain. Mortgages were exhibited which were filed within the last ten days, mortgages given as security for money to pay road taxes that in some instances amounted to approxlmateiy 10 per cent of the total value of little farms and homes worth less than sl .000; iand, the only use for which might be range for goats. recently rin.hered ia<S and uuiFnproved Farm lands taxed at the same rate as the most highly cultivated and richest of inair: ua166u "