The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-15
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Il CHAPTER ON THE PROGRESS OF
Road MAHING.
A Plea for Stone Moun,ain-A Ch"t Win the
Egyptian Commissioners Cott"n culture
Problem and the Final solution.

The progress of road building would make
some interesting reading if it was done up
with care.
One could go back to the trails OF Indian
DAVIS and follow their progress to its pres
ent state, together with the modes OF travcl
! all along the line. The heavy sawed wheels
before the days of spokes that superseded
the saplings that drug behind the Indian
| ponies along the trails were the hrst
things to demand a widening of the way.
These cumbrous old carts gave the oxen or
! Georgia an Importance they had never
had before and will never have again.
| From these heavy sawed wheels we pro-
| crossed to spokes with iron tires. The
| first of these spoked wheels were great for
| lightneSs and in hight and two wheels only
were used instead of four. They were
! mOnStrouS easy to turn over and this put
| the people to being more careful in opening
the ways on level ridges, avoiding the
! SAINTS. From the Old OK carts we moved
to wagons, buggies and carriages all the
| time improving the roads with the progress
| of vehicles. "A hard road TO trave was
| avoided and the words We're often applied
! TO distressful situations i'll life. n few yet
! live who can remember the trail period;
nnaHy yet live who can remember the Old
OK cart and they look i'll wonder at the
changes with us now and know not where
ii ito stop. | know not whether the inl-
provemcnt in 7ehcles brought better road
ways or better roads maze lighter and
ster vehicles, but anyhow they have pro-
crossed along together till after awhile |
guess we can 90 where we please without
pony, OK or wagon. The bicycle seems to
be the coming thing and the roads will
progress along with them to suit | reckon.
| took to thinking about this road bust
ness from hearing the Egyptian commits
eloners, who are down i'll Georgia on Il
visit from the worlds fair talking of the
paved ways they about Atlanta. |
had small chat with one of them who
talks United States and | am sure from the
cut of his eye that when they get back to
Egypt they will no longer waste their time
on the cotton problem of that country, but
VIII at once proceed to corner on all the
pyramids and blast them and scatter them
to thunder. Farewell pyramids, they are
gone and you who have never been TO
Egypt had better 20 mighty
quick or you will miss seeing
these great wonders of the world.
When the pyramids are all gone in Egypt
to making roadways and paving streets
then Stone mountain will have It's 0pportu-
nifty or beng the greatest wonder of It's
kind. This should be suggestive to the pre-
servatlon of the mountain. Even these
commissioners who hale from the land
of pyramids look in wonder upon this great
rock of ours. The next legislature should
take steps to preserve the highest part of
it at least. Not an inch should this noun
tain 5 height be reduced 1t is n wonder
a natural wonderland if progress must use
1t they should at least leave standing IL tow
erIng shaft in all its naturi.ness. All Of Geor
gia should take d pride in preserving this
wonder, hut especially should its owners and
the town of Stone Mountain work to save
1t. Some day people may come from Egypt
TO see this mountain as people have went
Rut fol
are more APT to call me a crank than they
are TO do as | say about anything
These Egyptian visitors make an
other thing plain TO my mind
we must make cotton very
cheap. Competition is what will come and
force lower prices still If we do not make
/; unprohtable for thrs" Egyptians 10 ex-
pertinent. Plenty of people living can rr-
member when it WAS thought cotton could
not be raised north of the Chattahoochee
river We need not shut our eyes and think
that cotton cannot be raised in Egypt
The thing 10 do is to make ii so CHEAP here
that the Egyptians will have no stimuant
to force them on in its culture. The way
To grow cotton cheap is what should en-
gage the attention of the southern planter.
not how they can get high price for the
product. for with high cotton comes Egyp-
uan competition. maybe. Africa will take
a hand. too. 1t would be something If
the negroes were colOnizcd in Africa and
it. but let EN- 90. free Use of improved
farm implements is the thing to arrive at
cheap cotton with. Southern farmers must
arrive at the point whore they can have
three to four mems work performed with
one good hand. This can be done by i'm
proved machinery and farm Implements
! have digressed from the roads. but
never mind, if | can save old Stone noun
tain from the ruthless touch of progress
/ have done well. And if | can stimulate
line of thought which will save us from
the competition that we are sure 10 have
in the culture Of cotton have done better.
But with it all we want more roads and
better roads. | was plum carried away
with the notion of working the roads with
the chaingangs, but ] see there is much
dissatisfaction about that. | don't know
who is right. but | would like for some
one 10 show me what better way to work
roads and what better way TO dispose of
the chaingans system. Till then I shall
say work the roads with the criminals