Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-10
About Roads.
MoRRIsToWN, Nov. 8,

Md. EDITOR: I am pleased to see
that some of our papers are begin
ming afresh to agitate the public road
question. There is nothing of so
great and general importance as the
improving of our roads. In them
all classes are interested. The i'm
provement of our public roads will
do more for the prosperity of our
people, the enhancement of the value
of the property of the state than the
building of all the railroads of the
next fifty years. Everybody in this
section favors trying a new system,
and I apprehend that those who
favor a change should not be too
general in speaking or writing it up,
bnt should give some plan upon
which to operate. In this country
the tax system is the one wanted,
but just how to go at it is the
trouble.
There was bill introduced in the
legislature four years ago, by our
representative, E. o. Tate, that
strikes me as about the best plan
have heard suggested. I will give
what I understand to be it's main fea-
lures, and hope it will be improved
upon by others, or at least, that 9TH
ers may speak out either in it's favor
or against his plan.
His plan was to have road COM
missioner elected for each county,
who should, after advertising, etc,
let out the public roads to an hon
est, responsible bidder.
They were to be let in short sec
tons, to be kept up to a certain
standard, the contractor to be La
BILE to the public as well as private
individuals for any failure or damage
resulting from his ia lure to keep
them, at all times, in good repair.
After all the roads were thus let the
aggregate amount of said bids were
to be reported to the county court
clerk. The tax assessors were to as.
sess each militiaman between the
ages Of 18 and As with one dollar
and sixty cents to be demanded by
the road contractor in whose section
said militiaman lived, but could be
paid with two days work of ten
hours each.
Tile aggregate amount Of militia
tax. shall be reported
to the clerk and deduct
ed from the aggregate amount of the
bids, which would leave the balance
to be raised by direct property tax
With such clauses, or sections as was
necessary to inaugurate this system
and properly enforce it, and a re-
pealing clause as to the old law made
up his bill.
This bill was received with more
favor than any other road bill then
pending, and I am led to believe that
with proper efforts, it or something
better can be put through this win
ter.
Mr.. Tate says he claims no patent,
but hopes that his plan may be i'm
proved upon, and it, or something
better, gotten into a law this winter
The present plan is not in keeping
with the spirit of our constitution.
The road tax is now one of the
heaviest paid, and it is nearly all
paid by the poorest men of the
country. When their muscle is
taxed, their entire capital is taxed.
Besides, the labor of the state is the
productive power of the state; and
the present plan wastes four-ffths of
that labor, and the labor actually ex-
pended upon the roads is done in
such manner as to accomplish nearly
no good at all. Every thinking man
can at a glance see the advantages
to be gained by change of system.
You havn't space for the arguments
that crowd upon me. Let the press
and the people speak out on this
subject. JAGo.