Show I Pueblo States Position on Tunnel I The Pueblo Commercial club has I issued to the press of Colorado o its I position on the measures that are proposed to come before the special session of the legislature From the circular letter we quote Without going Into detail as to the he necessity of providing pro a method of f preventing damage from floods In Pueblo county the situation may be bevery bevery bevery very briefly summed up by emphasizing emphasizing sizing izing the fact that methods of flood prevention are a matter of ot life Ufe and death to the county ana especially to that hat section of the city and county Included within the recent flood area where property to the value of 20 is located and which must be e given complete protection from future floods or the business section section sec- sec tion ion of the city moved to another lo location location location lo- lo cation and thousands of acres of farm arm lands abandoned 1 The proposed law creating flood prevention districts ra is based upon the he same fundamentals as the law which permits the formation of irrigation irrl- irrl irrigation gation districts The latter tetter law authorizes authorizes au- au the creation of ot districts which may be bonded for the purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose of draining off art or putting water on land for tor its improvement The former proposed law for flood prevention prevention prevention pre pre- is necessary to authorize the he creation of districts which may maybe maybe maye be e bonded for the purpose of keeping keeping keep- keep ing ng flood waters off ort farm land and out of cities so as to prevent damage damage damage dam dam- age to either or both If it Is right to creat districts for the purpose of putting water on land for tor farm purposes it will readily be conceded that hat It Is also right to create districts districts dis- dis which must be protected from too oo much water The Tho The bonds bonds issued on a flood prevention district the money received from the sale of these hese bonds would be used to construct con con- the particular kind of flood I prevention plan decided upon but buthe the he taxes to be levied and collected I in n the tho district would be apportioned apportion apportion- apportion I ed in proportion to the respective benefits which all classes of property proper- proper ty y would receive In getting tion The property most benefited would of course ay a greater pro pro- I portion of the taxes to pay interest and pay oft off the bond issue There Is a clause in the proposed law to the effect that where it Is first proposed to take in more than one count county or more than parts of one ODe county In any proposed propos- propos ed sd flood prevention pre district that the board oard of or county commissioners acting acting act- act ing ng for any county or portion of the property owners of any county who object to being taken into such proposed flood prevention district can In their official capacity protest- protest against being taken into any proposed propos propos- ed which includes more than one count county This gives any county desiring the right to make a protest the he authority to do so and andis is ample protection to Ro o that county against being taken into a district if its property owners no ao not wish to tobe tobe tobe be included Such protest by the county commissioners to the district court would serve sene as an absolute block to the county being taken Into the district Under the provision pro of tho the proposed proposed pro pro- posed palled district flood prevention bill bBl any city or county in iu Colorado or a apart apart apart part of any ony city or county in Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado would have tho the same right I which will bo be accorded to tho the city and ond county of Pueblo under the provisions provisions provisions pro pro- visions of the bill so that this law lawwill lawwill lawwill will not be enacted for the solo benefit of this city or county Floods can con happen in man many sections of the state but under present laws I there is absolutely no adequate method of creating a district in which plans for flood prevention can be properly and effectively carried out When the Moffat tunnel bill was before the people of this state for consideration at the last state It provided that the credit and money of the taxpayers of every county In the state could and would be used to build an enterprise to serve the people of only one section of the state This fact is Is' Is not denied by anybody The Pueblo Commerce club was against this bill as then proposed The Commerce club together with many other civic and commercial organizations organizations organizations or or- In many sections of ot Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado took the position that the credit and money of the taxpayers of every county in the state should not be used to finance a private enterprise enterprise enterprise enter enter- prise in which not a It dollar of public public public pub pub- lic funds had ever be been en n invested and andin andin andin in which the state as a political unit had not been interested In any manner manner manner man man- ner shape or form that the tho money of the taxpayers of ot Colorado collected collected collected col col- through the state government should not be used to finance a purely purely purely pure pure- ly private enterprise and a large majority of the people of the entire state held the same opinion and cast their ballots against the proposition for the se second ond time at the last state election The position of the Commerce club then was that If a It tunnel is to toIre tobe be tie built and financed to aid a purely purely purely pure pure- ly private enterprise In which no persons share gains or losses except stockholders of the owning awning corporation corporation corporation corpor corpor- that the money to aid such an enterprise should be furnished by bythe bythe bythe the stockholders themselves or if raised by taxation that taxes should be levied only and solely upon prop property property property prop prop- erty immediately adjacent to the operations operations operations op op- op- op of said enterprise This means that if the people of the western western western west west- ern slope or Arkansas valley or northern Colorado desire to aid a railroad or other public utility or private they should have a right to todo todo todo do so and that the people of Denver Denver Denver Den Den- ver and those living along the line of the Moffat railroad should therefore therefore therefore there there- fore have an equal right to levy taxes upon property along that railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road for the tho purpose of financing a tunnel for the use of the railroad The Pueblo Commerce club must therefore be consistent If It It was right before the last election to In Insist insist in- in slat that the tho Moffat tunnel be constructed constructed constructed con con- and paid for by the tax taxpayers taxpayers taxpayers payers In a proposed Moffat tunnel district it Is right Ito to take the same position now No section of Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado ought to take tho the position that I another and distant section of oC the tte I state should not have the right to bond its taxpayers to raise money to be expended In that section for foran an any otter oner position would be inconsistent inconsistent tent and illogical The Tho Pueblo Commerce club has not to date taken any position on the proposed Moffat tunnel bill for forthe forthe forthe the reason leason that the Commerce club has not been informed as to what the exact provisions of the bill bilT will be bo boand and until the contents of the bill are made public the tho Commerce club would not therefore L press an an opinion concerning it It The above information concerning the lira proposed posed district flood prevention prevention prevention tion bill and the position of the club concerning the proposed Moffat tunnel bill hill Is submitted for your Information in information information In- In formation In tho the belief beller that you desire desire de de- de- de sire Ire to be Instrumental in setting as they concern the Com Com- coerce erco club before people of the state |