The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-04-18
HoN 3. 0. rATE.s LErrER.
About the Road Law.
TATE SPRINes, Granger Co. !,
April II. 1877.
q the Morrissown aazette

To the Editor Of the Morristown Gazette:
always read with interest anything
condemning our present road system, if
system it can be called. most heartily
join you in your criticism of the system
There is no subject of greater real inter
est to our people than that of procuring
good roads.
AS an humble member of the late
''sap-head" body known as the Legisla-
ture of Tennessee and in justice to my
self, wish to say that, / drew up and
presented bill providing for letting out
the making of the roads to the lowest
responsible bidders, holding them re-
sponsible to the public as well as to in
dividuals for damages to person or prop
erty On account of the unlawful condi-
ton of their roads. 1t also provided
that about one-half the expense of keep
ing up the roads should be borne by the
property. All the militia tax was to be-
paid in labor and, also, three-fourths of
the property tax. 1t further provided
for the most economical collection and
| application of said tax. This bill was
referred to the Committee on Public
Roads, and by that Committee to Sub
committee, which examined it very care
| fully and unanimously recommended it
for passage. The Road Committee also
reported it for passage, but on its third
reading it was rejected, and I believe
a majority of those who voted against it
did it without considering its various
| features.
1 mention this bill, as 1 feel that no
! legislator should be excused, unless he
tried to improve our roads. I regarded
it as one of the most important measures
before the Legislature-one in which
every citizen of the State is interested.
The lawyers, doctors, preachers, mer-
chants, millers, mechanics, farmers, and
the common laborers, ARE all interested
l admit that those who live near the
railroads are not so much so as those at
distance, but as the State has virtually
| given them superior advantages they
| should, at least, allow counties remote
from the railroads to build such roads as
will enable them to reach their markets.
The products of our farms, at this COM
paratiyely short distance from the rail
road, are almost worthless. Take. for
example, corn, which, / understand, is
worth 40 cents Der bushel, sacked, in
your market; take off five cents for sack
ing, leaves it at 80 cents. On our roads,
as they now are, we can haul from IL to
10 bushels with a team that will cost
50 90 per day, ferriage s., and we have
left for 10 bushels of corn just 81 75-
little over eIeUen cents per bushel. Sup
pose we could haul 80 bushels, which we
could on good roads, we would receive
more than % cents per bushel, or over
twice what We now obtain. The man
who has 10 bushels of corn to take to
market could afford to pay 81 tax to keep
up the roads. The man who has farm
ten miles from the railroad could af-
ford to give one-fourth of it to bring the
remainder into market. Yet, the one
hundredth part of the amount above
named would be more than sufficient to
build and keep up first-class roads. When
once built, it is easier to keep up good
IOduS imam DaQ ones.
I oppose an increase of taxes as much
as any one, and insist that the roads
can be made good by less labor than is
now actually expended on them, on the
principle that "a stitch in time saves
nine" Make the party who works the
roads interested, and he will apply labor
to the best advantage. The tax that is
now collected for road purposes is enor-
nous. | have not at my command any
means of knowing the number of militia
laborers in the State, but feel sure that
it will amount to 100000. Suppose that
they are required to work five days each
year at 70 cents per day, and we have
the sum of 1915, 600 annually collected,
and the producing capacity of the State
cut short that much, and this enormous
sum is so applied that $150,OO0 rightly
expended would do the State more good,
When you tax the labor of the laboring
man, in many cases, you tax his entire
capital, and we all know of many per-
sons who are required to work the roads
from five to eight days in the year whose
AaAhAAtSo are CSpeHOSnl upon their daily
earnings for the necessaries of life, who
never travel the roads except to work
them, and While working them their
families are either stinted or starved.
The present system is not only ruinous
in policy, but it is the most UNANIMOUSLY
unjust law that disgraces our statute
books. | would differ with you in ad.
vising County Courts, Grand Juries and
Attorney Generals. / would say, do as
little as your oaths will allow you in en-
forcing this unequal and unjust law, in !
heaping fines and penalties upon those |
you force to serve you without compen-
sation. ! would also advise Overseers
and Road Hands to do just as little on |
the roads as they can to escape the pen |
alties of the law, and those who use the |
roads, for whom they have been work |
ing, will be willing to compromise and |
let them off at a less tax, and will help
them TO do their road work.
Respectfully, E. o. TATE.
Hotel Arrivals.