The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-03-12
AN INVESTMENT: NOT
AN EXPENSE
(Luverne Herald)

There is nothing, we believe, that
can SO quickly arouse hostility and
prejudice as the question of taxes.
Indeed, it isn't necessary even for one
to be taxpayer in order to feel
"'rlghtously" aggrieved, and there
fore called upon to denounce a tax
levy. Most of us can readily recall
instances where the Ioudest kickers
against public improvements were
men who had never paid a dollar in
direct taxes in their whole lives.
This is no less true in the case of
the automobile taxes. Go where you
Will and you can find men kicking
about the motor car taxes and, Just
at this time, about the proposed gas
ollne tax-men who do not own a
car, and who undoubtedly never will
own one: By the same token, you can
always hear non-owners of cars bit
terly complaining about the cost of
trunk highways and improvements,
when they don't contribute one red
cent of the cost.
AS a matter of fact, good roads do
not cost anyone who uses the roads
In any way red cent, for the money
paid to good roads is an investment
that brings very large and direct re-
turns. All who drive automobiles
know the cost of the rack and wear
OF rough roads, the wear on tires and
the increase in gasoline consumption,
All who drive horse drawn vehicles
know the wear and tear to such We
hlcles produced by poor roads, and
the wear and tear upon horses and
harnesses. They likewise know how
much larger loads can be hauled over
good roads with far less damage to
vehlcles and horses. And plus an
this there should be added in favor
OF the good roads the greater COM
tort and pleasure experienced.
When all these things are consid-
cred, it is no exaggeration to say that
good roads are an investment that
brings large returns.
The whole trouble, apparently. is
that these roads are built by taxes
What is there about taxes that makes
people "see red" whenever thew are
mentioned is hard to divine. Possibly
1t is the mere fact that thew are an
enactment of the government. Ger
talnly it is not the amount of money
involved, for every taxpayer will
SOllIIlUuIG uldnV times
the amount of his taxes for other
thlngs-many of them useless. if not
harmful, without a word of COMPLAINT
or protest. Oil companies, for in
stance, can boost the price of gas as
much as they will, but the motor car
driver pays the price with little, if
any, complaint, Notwithstanding that
ne gets absolutely nothing for the adj
dltlonal cost thereof. But when the
state proposes to add two cents a
gallon, all of the income from which
will be used to build and improve the
highways so as to further reduce the
cost of operating motor vehicles. the
WeIkln rings, with imprecations.
1t is not to be denied that the OBJ
Grafton of our Trunk Highway sys-
tenn is open to criticism in MANY
things. Neither is it to be denied
that this is inevitable, when one stops
to remember that the system has
been in operation for only a few
years, that it embraces 1000 miles
of roadway, and that the infallibility
OF man is as fixed as the sun, moon
and stars. God has ruled the universe
since the beginning of time, yet in
each community He has as many OBJ
jectors to the way it is run as has