The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1891-10-15
TIE PUBLIC ROADS OF NORTH
CAROLINA.

accepted an Invitation from the
committee having the matter in
charge 60 deliver Ill address at
some date during the Southern
Exposition and in his acceptance
he names as his subject the pub
lie roads ofNorth Carolina. The
subject brings to mind the effort
that is now being made in Geor-
gia for better highways, and the
pending congress to protest
against the present miserable
condition of their roads, the
same to consist of delee ates from
all the counties in thatState. 1t
will be remembered that SINH
lar congress was held two years
ago in Georgia in which i'm
portant recommendations were
made to the Legislature which
were embodied in bill that pas
sed the Senate. but was slnoth-
cred IN the House. 1t speaks
we'll for the people of the state
that, not daunted by their pre-
vious failure, they have called a
new road congress, and have
sent their best men to it backed
by the support ofrhe press. Geor-
gia, with it's strong infusion of
the Scotch element, dating back
from the days OF Oglethorpe, has
always been one of the thrifty
and vell-ordered States of the
South, and torn to pieces as she
was during the civil war, and
robbed and plundered as she was
during the reconstruction period,
the native spirit of her people
was never more strongly mani
tested than by the sturdy way
in which, when the incubus of
the carpet-baggers was removed,
they set to work to rebuild their
devastated homes. They are
now considering the question of
good roads, how to make them
at a moderate cost and how to
get the work done. The Atlanta
Constitution is giving a sketch
of tile history of the road reform
in England, which between 1916
and 1886 transformed, by the
genius of Macadam, the $4,000
miles of highways of that king
dom from roads of the very
worst character to be found any
where into roads which are free
to travel and traffic throughout
the length and breadth of the
island, and which, in point of
hardness and smoothness, have
noequals exceptin France, where
every road is built and kept in
order at the governmentexpense.
In England half the cost of re-
constructing and maintaining
the roads in good condition was
paid by the government and half
by the counties, but now the
whole cost is met by the county
councils, to which the govern
ment has transferred certain rev.
enues from taxation that were
formerly paid into its treasury.
1t is evident that the Georgia
people look to the Legislature
for a part of the money to be
used in the improvement of the
roads, aid that this money is to
be derived from a general road
tax And the citizens of our
state should stady her efforts and
be stimulated by her examples.
Altogether there is no question
of more Importance to North
CarolinAnians than thistle
subject of Col. Green's address
and he should be heard by thous-
ands Of people. A well organized
community, a live, progressive
county must have good road
ways. The prosperity of any
district, especially among the
rural clssses, devolves considera-
bly, upon the roads and with it
all. ths~vay and manner in which
thAse roads should be kept, the
legislation that should be
brought to bear upon the ques-
tioA is ofyet greater Importance.
Rally to yo,sr leading Democratic
.oeekty The Sentinel .oiH be seat to
any address from this date to January
LIST, for tace3,tu. fve ceuts.