The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-02-23
GOOD ROADS.
A Memorial TO the Tennessee
Legislature.

r Tennessee have presented n memo
, rial to the Legislature in regard Z,
: our present road system, and asking
that body TO enact better road law
We extract the following from tb,
memorial:
"A Nothing would do more to en-.
nance the value Of our lands than
good roads. The actual as we'll a.
the market value Of land depends
in a large degree. on the outlet Il
has TO market The most product
i've land would be comparatively
worthless without such an outlet
We can expect but few immigrants
in our State as long as our roads re-.
main 50 miserably bad Men who
! i've in States where enterprise has
dotted every neighborhOod with
good roads will not settle I'M n State
where all their profits are eaten up
ina getting their surplus products to
masket.
The time has come, in opinion Of
our best citizens, when our State
should take a new departure on this
subject, and arrange horselfin a limo
Of progress beside her most advan-
ced sister States. The purest system
of public roads has proved a con-
spicous failure. 1t is inadequate 10
our wants. 1t is wrong in principle,
and unjust and unequal in It's opera.
ton. il is based on the idea that
all men between certain ages shall
work on the public roads as often
as may be necessary. In one neigh.
/ bOrhood, where the roads are uatur-
ally good, this may require three
or four days in each year. In
others, where they are naturally
bad, It may require twenty days, or
even more. In one ueighburhuOd,
the persons subject to road duty NAV
| be called ON % work three dayG in
the year, in others fifteen and in
| others none at all Ia al ucighbura
hoods the least possible labor is done
that will suffice 70 save the Uvsrsror
Nor need we he much astOnishsd
at this The Overseer gets no pay
Tor MS trouble and liability Those
who work get none. Mann Of thOae
who are thu- forced To work on the
public roads own HO properly, while
their rich ncighbOr Is exempt from
work. Let US illustrate: There IN
a man fifty years of age Tic owns
riye hundred acres OF land and many
head Of horses and mules. two or
three wagons, and a family carringo
This same man husOu his farm tire,
or four tenants, who work his land.
but have no horses or wagons. All
these tenants are liable 60 rpad duty
at the summons Of the oyersCcr.
/ The rich farmer, who is exempt
from road duty, uses the public road
daily with horses, wagons and car
riagcs, and cuts IL up, while these
/ poor tenants are forced 10 work on
this Same road from three 10 fifteen
days yearly.
Again here is a rich widow lady,
with lands, wagons, horses and car
riagcs. She contributes not one
ccut towards keeping up the public
roads. But her poor tenants, even
her driver, DO not thus escape
! They must keep the roads ia order
for her carriage when 1t passes. So
this same principle could be iilustIu-
ted by the case Of a rich minor under
Is years ofagc.
Again: the small farmer, with n
farm worth $500. contributes as
much 20 keep up the public roads
rs docs his neighbor with a farm
worth $4,000. Indeed, the poorest
man i'm the State, who uses the pub
lie roads only to walk over, does as
much 10 keep them up as the man
who is worth a million Of dollars
Is this right? is il jnst2 Can We
wonder that the men who have to
work on the public roads, ~ a gen
eral rule, do just a. little work as
possible when called on2
Ii thus appears that while the
property Of the State, and a consid.
cradle part Of the property holders,
are exempt from the duty Of road
work, this burden falls entirely upon
the labor Of the people This il un-
just and oppressive in principle, and
unwise in practice. il is disorim-
ination against labor and the poor,
in favor Of property and the rich.
If is amazing that the classes thus
oppressed have submitted TO IL
quietly and patiently so long.
To correct these evils and devise
new system-Onc that is just, uni
form and adequate TO the wants of
the people-demands the best talent
and statesmanship Of your honorable
body.
Ii is believed that whatever system
may be adopted should be taEcd
mainly on taxation This IL tho
only way to make il uniform in
operation, and reach all classes.
Those who own no property, sub
iect 20 taxation under the Coustitu-
ton, should be required 20 work ON
the public roads a certain number
Of days each year, unless too old or
physically disabled, and this duty
should be enforced under sufficient
penalties Thus by taxation Of
property, and by the labor Of those
who have no property, all persons
and classes can be forced 10 do their
part in bearing the public burdens.
The country convicts should bo
used for this purpose also. At the
expiration of the present lease Of
the penitentiary, such Of the con-
victs as are stout and healthy should
be put upon the public roads, thus
Withdrawing them from competition
with the honest mechanics and min.
ers Of the State
A gentleman travelling in a rail-
r.rav~ aas.tsi "a rra tarnu Ft 1uwta~awrss ss#tfh