The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-21
Do Our Legislators Desire Good
R0ada9

! The National League for Good Roads, or
/ gauizsd in Chicago last month, is busily en-
gagged in bringing It's aims before the pub
l:c II has put itself IN communication
with various prominent men OF the several
states, the governors included, and a num-
Der OF them have indicated that practical
sympathy and substantial aid will not be
wanting to assist the league in accomplish
ing its objects. One Of these objects is the
es ablishment Of road department, an in
stitute of road engineering and a per-
manent road exhibit in the city OF " ash
ington.
Such institutions would doubtless be Of
benefit to the country at large. They would
be sources from which information could be
drawn at any time by individuals Of com
munities that might be led to see the ad-
vsntsges Of improved highways, and wish
to build good roads.
In the matter Of the actual building of
roads, however. each state must depend
upon its legislature To enact laws to that
end. The MORNING NEWS has heretofore
suggested that the Georgia legislature could
put no law upon the statute books that
would be of more benefit to the state and
give more general satisfaction than one
looking to the building of a system of good
public roads throughout the state and at the
same time making preparations for the
states assuming control Of her convicts at
the expiration Of the terms of the leases
under which they are now held by various
partiesL
This could be done by establishing a
state engineers department, the duty of
which department. would be to make sur
veys and lay out plans for road or bridge
building upon which the convicts could be
put to work as the existing leases run out.
II such an engineers department should
be established at once, under one competent
man, the cost OF transferring the convicts
to state authority could be minimized
and they could be utilized on public
works in a comparatively short space OF
time. 1t would probably take the state en-
gineer year to complete protiles and draw
ings of enough roadway and bridge work to
start the convicts TO work upon, but after
that the department could keep ahead Of the
work all the time.
1t will need no argument 60 convince the
legislators that the existing convict system
must go; they must be convinced already.
Nor should it need any argument to con-
vince them that good roads are one great
crying need of the state. Most of the MEM
bsrs of the legislature live In country dis
tricts, and know that as a general thing the
average Georgia country road is a morass
in spring, sand or dust bed in summer a
series of ruts and ridges at all times and an
almost endless line of mud and nire when
ever there is a wet spell. Such roads very
naturally depreciate the value of real
estate situated on them. make communion
ton iufrequent and annoying, wear out
horses and wagons, require a greater num-
Der of horses and wagons than would be
needed to do the same work on good roads,
make travel over them burden, and are
generally source OF annoyance and ex-
pense.
Such roads have existed in Georgia for
100 years and 1t is time TO get rid of them.
There is no better way to do it than to
make the oonvicts improve them. And by
working the convicts on the roads they
would be removed from competition with
free labor and put where there would be no
excuse for the alleged cruelty with which
they are sometimes treated under the eek
isting order of things.