Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-30
PUBLIC ROADS.
some Plain and Comprehensive
statements by Hon. j. G. Flanders.

some Plain and Comprehensive
Statements by Hon. j. G. FIanders.
Mr.. EDITOR: I gladly respond to
your request to preseLt some views on
the subject of roads. If am ambi-
tious of any one thing more than
another, it is to contribLts something
to the building up of good roads
through this country. which we stand
so humiliatipgly in need of. Farmers
SOW at a smad Gust ia the spring that
they may harvest tenfold in the fall.
Whatever contributes to the interest of
one, contributes to the interests of all
classes of business. How simple and
pennywise it is to refuse to invest
thoughtfullyand systematically small
sum in money and labor to build and
keep in first class repair our public
highways, when surer than the
farmers harvest, is his return.
There is no good sense or civilization
in allowing ourselves to be buried
alive in mudhole six months out of
the year.
Four years ago this coming winter I
had the honor of representing the 4th
senatorial district in the upper house
of the state legislature. During the
canvass promised the good people, if
elected, would do my level best to
pass some road law to improve our
roads, and at the same time provide
that the owners of real estats, whose
property would in some localities be
doubled in value, should contribute an
equi able share in such improvements
OF roads. During the session I gave
the matter my earnest and
continued attention. From the public
library I drew the statutes of ten
or more states and studied their laws
on the subject of roads. After much
thought and consultation, I drew up a
complete bill, which passed the senate,
! after various amendments to it were
made at the suggestions Of senators
whose opposition found it necessary
to overcome. 1t provided:
THAT all real estate shall be assessed,
and pay as highway tax, the sum of
| not exceeding five cents on the one
hundred dollars of the assessed value
! thereof.
"Thst the amount of the road tax on
real estate shall be carried out in o
separate column on the duplicate of
county and state taxes by the assessor,
aud 1t shall be collected and accounted
for the same as other county taxes,
and to be subject only to orders drawn
by the justice court, or so ordered to be
drawn through its chairman.
THAT the assessor shall prepare and
have ready for delivery to the tax COL
lector, or collectors, of the respective
counties, the real estate road tax, and
at the same time and in the same man.
ner as other tax lists are prepared for
collection. That the person so charged
81 all be allowed to work out such tax
at the rate Of one dollar per day, equiv
alent to one days labor, but he must
give the overseer notice of his inten-
ton SO to do, and respond when called
upon for such labor by the overseer of
his district, the Overseer giving him
two days. notice, and the overseer's g
receipt, certified to by the commission
er, shall be received in payment by
the tax collector, and the said receipt
shall be accepted by the county trus.
tee, as vouchers for the amount go in-
dicated."
It should have been at least ten cents
on the one hundred dollars, but the
opposition to taxing real estate was so
great that found it was impossible to
pass it for more than five. People in
East Tennessee must realize that ia
Middle and West Tennessee they have
many plank roads, and that their
roads are not oDe-third the trouble to
keep up that ours are. That the planters
control large number of hands, who,
through the old system of overseers
they can compel to work the roads, and
the idea of paying tax on real estate
was something they would not listen
too. However, nearly all of them ad-
mitt sd to me privately that such a tax
was right, but their constituents would
resent 1t. L recommended il that was
the case that they prove to their con-
stituents " bic 1sing in disguise,n and
vote for the bill. Among ether things
it provides as follows: ...t
Section l. That the county court OF
each county in the state, sLall at their
first meeting after the passage of this
act, elect one commissioner in each
county, resident freeholder therein.
and such commissioner must be be-
tween the age Of twenty-five and
sixty years.
Section 2. Be it further enacted,
That the commissioner so elected shall
hold his office until the first Monday
in April, 1879, at which time, and
every two years there .fter, the county
)urt shall elect his succ 3sor in office.
and for such service the sum Of two
dollars per day for days of actual ser
vice. It shall be the duty of the com.
missioner:
To supervise the repai on the re .ds
and bridges in their respective conn
ties, az d cause the building of bridge !
therein when the county court shall
order such bridges built. To Law out
and establish roads, to regulate and
alter roads in their county, il a major.
lty OF the county court may deem
proper.
within his county, subject to work on
the public roads, without more delay
than is absolutely neces airy after his
election, and to correct such list from
time to time as may be deemed ne j.
sary, said liet be kept in a well-bound
book. and turned over to his successor
in Office.
The commissioner shall appoint a
competent person as Overseer for every
elk miles of firet-class roads, and he
shall also appoint, if it be deemed nee.
C. lry,- on the second-clsss or Cross
roads, OF persons living on such roads.
and for the consideration of such labor.
such overseers shall each receive the
sum of one dollar per day for such
service as they may be authorized to
render over the amounts due by them
for road purposes. and the commits
sioner's receipt shall be a good credit to