Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1923-01-26
FARMER IN NO SHAPE
| TO PAY HEAVIER TAX
President Lambert, of Education
al and Cooperative Union,
Tells Why He Opposes
Road Bonds.

POSITION among tue ldIuciS Vi
to the proposal to issue
state bonds for road construction.
Mr.. George A. Lambert, presi-
dent of the State Farmers Union,
has just issued a public letter in
op position to this measure.
This letter is addressed to
Senator John H. Crockett, OF
Wythe county.
Special significance is attached
to Mr.. Lambert's announcement
in view of the fact that he re
sides in WYthe county. the home
|of Governor Trinkle. Mr.. Lam
bert says:
Rural Retreat, Va.
Jan. S, 1923.
Senator ]. H. Crockett,
Wytheville, Va.
Dear Senator
Replying to your favor of Jan.
1st requesting my position on the
bond issue question and the reas-
ons therefor. will say / am OPP
posed to the state issuing bonds
at the present time for any pnr-
| pose. Some of my reasons for
taking this position are as fol-
lows /:
Cd Agriculture, by far the
greatest industry of the state. is
lin no condition to carry any adj
ditional burdens of taxes.
| CD The unreasonable high
lcost of road construction at the
present time.
i 81 Too much money is being
spent in building thorougfare>
paralleling railroads, and too
little in building and improving
the farm to market roads.
i (4) This states bad history in
the bond issue business.
i (5) Some of the counties by
Issuing bonds and by private sub
Iscriptions have already built a
Igood deal of road. 1t would not
lbe lust to tax these counties to
build roads in those counties
where little or no roads have
been built.
i Now just few moments.
i The farmers have lost in their
Operations for two years. Many
of them borrowed money to pay
their taxes year before last, and
IA mu:h larger number did the
same thing last year, and if the
Immediate future offers any re-
lief to the farmer l am unable to
see it.
| Previous to the world war we
were getting just as good roads
built for four or FIVE thousand
dollars per mile, as now cost if
lteen or twenty dollars per mile.
and the farmers products were
bringing as much before the war
as now, and measured in what
Ibis products will pow buy of
Iother commodities (Which is the
Ionly correct wav) they are only
bringing half as much now as
before the war.
| Almost ore hundred years ago
Virginia issued her first bonds
| for certain internal improve
ments. By January Is, 1861. she
had issued $33,0O0,0OO worth Of
bonds. At this time Virginia
| made certain adjustments with
her creditors to the amount of
alb out $4,000, 900. Later in the
settlement with West Virginia
something over $1,000, 200 was
turned over to West Virginia as
her part of the debt. So Vir-
ginia Dyed on October 1, 1921,
about $22, 100000. Under the
plan of settlement entered into in
1892 by which a payment of
$780, 900 is to be made each year,
the last of these bonds will be
paid off in the year 1892 /; just
| 169 years after the first bonds
were issued. and will have cost
the state at that time in princi-
pal and interest about $i25, 000.-
600. So that after more than
sixty years after the last of these
bonds were issued, we yet have
practically all of the principal OF
these bonds yet to- pay.
Our bond issue friends talk as
though $l2, 900. 900 would build
a good road by every mans door
in the state. as a matter of fact
at the present cost of corstfuc-
ton it would only build about
five miles to the county.
But please do not misunder-
stand me am not opposed to |
good roads, but / am in favor of |
building them just as fast as we
are able to afford them. / think