The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-12-04
GOOD ROADS.
The Law Needs Amending-State Aid
Suggested.

EDITOR HERALD:-All of your
readers being interested in good
roads, I thought now would be a
good time to commence getting up
an interest at least, if not enthusiasm
upon the subject. And if we sue
ceede in doing either, good will have
been done.
Our Legislature meets next Jan
uary, and will doubtless undertake
to alter or amend our road laws and
good road law, properly executed,
means good roads. We now have a
splendid road law, if it was properly
executed. There are some objec-
tions to it, however. One objection
is the appointment of Road Com
missioners and our Overseers. A
Road Commissioner should be
practical road builder, or at least
have good practical ideas of road
building, and some hustle about
him. A man who don't know how to
build road, don't know how to
have it done. To appoint or elect a
man for this position because be is a
good, clever fellow, is a mistake-a
fatal mistake, for much, if not all,
depends upon the Commissioner. III
we appoint the right man Commits
sioner and he appoints a practical
man with good judgment and busi-
ness qualities as overseer, the work
will certainly be done. Most of our
Commissioner appoint as their
overseer some boy or young man be-
cause he is sprightly boy or young
man. This is a very bad mistake.
No boy has the judgment to build a
road or to control hands, and most
of them don't care, so the time is
killed, what condition the road is
in.
All overseers know that no hands,
white or black, will respect boy as
they will a man forty or fifty years
old. A man of that age has some
judgment, and knows, either from
experience or by observation, how
to work road. L don't mean by
this that every man of that age
would make good overseer. Some
men 60 or 70 years have no judgment
to work road at all. A Road Com
missioner should be empowered and
commanded, if he cannot find among
his road hands practical and com
petent man for overSeer, to, hire a
! practical man as overseer. Some
may say that would be throwing
away money; but there is where
they are mistaken. One day with
fifteen hands put under the direc-
tion of a practical road builder, is
worth more to the country and
travel than six days on the same
road, with the same number of
hands under man or boy who does
not understand his business.
L see no other way of building
roads except direct taxation. We
have tried the labor tax and that
has proven an utter and disastrous
failure. Now, in my opinion, if our
law was changed so as to make the
labor tax about two or three days,
and good tax levied upon all of the
real and persona! property, and al
low the property owner to work on
the road under competent over
seer-provided his work would
equal that of hired man, in five
years we would be up to date with
|, our roads.
!, Another change, or rather an ad-
dition, should be made and / am
surprised it has not been made long
ago. That is, State aid. Why not
State aid? If you will look over the
!, list and count it up, you will find
hundreds of thousands of dollars of
the peoples hard-earned money
spent that they did not, nor will not
derive one cents benefit from, that
/ could have been put into roads that
would have been of a benefit to thous-
ands of the states citizens. There
is nothing our next Legislature can
benefit the State more in than by
making liberal appropriation fol
f road building and a judicious law
( controlling it--and if this be so
! why not demand State aid and have
: it.
AS matter of course you will fine
. men who will object to taxation fol
: this purpose; but the majority are
for iG, and would be glad to demand
. it.
L don't think | have ever We
heard any man say aught against
good roads; on the other hand have
: heard scores express thems elvei
} that by all means we ought to hav,
good roads; and yet when the tesl
: would come, large proportion
: would act as though they though
. the other fellow ought to build them
don't censure these men myself.
= don't know the reasons or notion,
they have for not aiding, or wanting
to aid in this public enterprise.
certainly give them credit fo
honesty in the matter until L fine
(. out differently But it does look (
F. little strange for any man who is no
willing to contribute his mite will
his neigbbor's and share with then
: the burden of public road enterprise
} Something that enhances the valu,
of his property and cuts off enor
nous expense of putting cheaI
farm products on the market.
Roads must be built in some way
t and if any one knows of bette
F.; way than taxation, would be glaC
to hear the suggestion. If there il
any objection to State aid, would b,
: glad to see it in the HERALD mex
; week. Ii no reasonable objection
then let us demand State aid.
Respectfully,
j. A. s.