Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-07-08
An Interesting Paper.
Report of the Turnpike
Committee to the Court.
A Plan Proposed.
10 the aoorshiRtug County Court of
Lincoln county,. Tennessee

To the qoorshiptu1 County Court of
Lincoln county, Tennessee:
The undersigned committee, ap.
pointed at the last term, to report
to the present term of your wor-
shipful court, July 1884, the
number of miles of Turnpike roads
already constructed and in opera
ton in the county, and the proba-
BILE value Of the same per mile /;
the number of miles that should
be constructed, so as to embrace
all the public county roads, and
the probable cost Of the same per
mile, and the most speedy, practi-
cable, and least burthensome plan
by which the requisite amount of
funds can be raised to supply the
county with good roads, &c. &C., af
ter giving the important questions
entrusted to them a careful inves-
tigation, would respectfully beg
leave to submit the following re-
port:
1st. There are about 80 miles
of Turnpikes already constructed
in the county through individual
enterprise and expense, and are
worth from $1,000 10 $500 per
mile in their present condition.
These roads, however, are not in
perfect state of repair. But the
committee assumes, from their own
knowledge, and information given
them, that the same can be pur-
chased and placed in perfect
state of repair, as required by
their charters, for an amount
within the sum of $4,000 per mile.
And just in this connection the COM
mittee would respectfully suggest
the importance Of the county's
purchasing these roads, for several
obvious reasons, the first of which
is, that the system of county
roads as proposed By this report, is
founded upon the one important
idea that the county should be the
sole owner Of every foot of Turn
pike within its limits. The Sec
ond is, that since these roads were
built at the individual expense and
through the individual enterprise
of stockholding citizens who reside,
in a great measure, in the imme-
date sections of the county
through which those roads pass,
the committee deem it unfair tC
solicit or compel aid from the
stockholders in the construction
of pixies in other sections of the
county, without first placing them
on an equal footing with citizens
in those sections where roads are
now in contemplation. And in
the third place, the idea of reaping
a county benefit, from an improved
system of roads, in the shape of
a county revenue, is inconsistent
with the idea of individual stock
holders in part Of those roads
From these causes, and many 9th
ers, the committee urge the neces.
sity of the courts being clothed
with the power to negotiate the
purchase of those roads upon such
terms as a disinterested commits
sion would dictate. And the
committee would further intimate
the propriety of looking to the
charters of these roads, as this &C
tons might require that amend
ments be made in them by the
next Legislature.
End. In order to equallZe the
improved roads throughout the
county, and give the greatest mum,
Der Of citizens an equal share of
the benefits, there should be con
structed about one hundred and
twenty-five miles of Turnpikes
on the principal roads leading from
the county site to the most impor
tant localities in the remote por
tons of the county. But, as tc
the exact location of these roads
the committee decline to offer any
further suggestions, except thai
disinterested commissioners, under
the appointment, instruction, anc
superintendent of this court
should, without prejudice, fear, OIL
favor, perform impartially that I'M
portant duty; and feeling as we do
that if the amount of road here
proposed, is judiciously apportionee
that they can be caused to stretch
out in not less than ten vast arteries
through the body of the county
And the committee are fully sat
is6ed that these roads can be con
structed at cost of not more than
$4,000 per mile, adopting as they
propose, the late valuable sugges
ton in pike building, to-wit: flag
ing the bottom of all streams thai
never swell to an extent beyond
fording, and thereby avoiding the
heavy expenditures always attend