Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-09-30
GREEN CLAY WRITES ON
PROPOSED ROAD TAX

is not now sufficient to properly
keep M repair its many miles of
dirt and macadam roads it is en-
lnently proper that we seek to
better our condition. The pro-
posed 20 cent road tax for six
years will pull us out of the mud
and place us. on good roads &C
cording TO its advocates.
BY voting an extra tax on each
81 900 worth of property for six
years, $12 for the entire period,
the result eventually will be the
into the bitches of non
inter county roads of more mon
cy than can now be hoped for
This fact is lltridly pointed out
in order TO secure the support of
the farmer who lives on other
than inter-county roads and just
here it is well to also point out
that a big majority of Madison
county farmers live on non
county roads.
In the meanwhile the farmer
who pays taxes on $4,000 is out
$40 and may be benefited to
some extent by money expended
on his road that otherwise will be
placed on the main highways. To
believe that his farm will be ben
Gifted $120 worth in this round
about way requires an optimis-
tic imagination few of us possess.
What the farmer wants and
foremost in a road is to be able
to reach the county seat safely
and comfortably. Next he wants
to get to church and over to his
neighbours place and lastly he
wants to be able to ride out of
Madison county. Any Of them
will struggle manfully to open up
a passway to the pike, willingly
they will exert themselves to i'm
prove the road into Richmond.
Eeyond that it will take some
strong oratory and tall figuring
to induce him to contribute mon
cy to all enterprise like the pro-
posed Richmond Mckee road
that theoretically will bring
wealth into the county some OF
which will. through mysterious
channels. trickle into his pocket.
1t is assumed that this tax will
make available the sum O f
$4,000 10 be expended on new
and reconstructed inter-county
roads. 1t is assumed that so called
state aid will double the amount
and that Federal aid will further
Increase the sum. That word "as-.
sumed"-i used here adviscdly for
the reason that it is purely ali
a um p 10 n. a camouf1aged
phrase delusion and snare
: The farmer who pays his $120I
special road tax will also pay his
$40 Estate Road Aid' fund and
his proportion Of the Federal
road aid fund. 1t will be removed
from his possession i'll more
ways and under dif-
ferent titles but it will be eX-
tracted from him nevertheless.
There will be no let up in col
Letting the entire tax either. The
entire 20 cents for six years
could be placed to advantage in
this county on intcr-county roads
within the next six months.
1t is quite apparent that in
creased trade with Jackson coun-
ty will benefit Richmond mer-
chants but in as much as this is
purely a commercial enterprise,
i'll no wise philanthropic, each
tax payer is entitled to view the
matter from his own selfish
standpoint. And keep in mind
that the great bulk of the tax will
come out of the farmers pocket.
Arguing in favor of good roads
and better roads all down the line
is it not apparent that what Mad
ison county most needs at pre-
sent is better maintenance OF
existing highways rather than