Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-02-02
TO GET GOOD ROADS.
METHOD SUGGESTED FOR STATE OF
TENNESSEE.
Issuance of bonds and Collection of
R"nd Tux In MOney-What Poor
R"nds Cost Farmers-DaIIy Mails
and Free Delivery.


R"nd tn. In Money-what Poor
Ronds Cost Fsrmers-DaIIy MaiIs
and Free Delivery.
Hon, c. l.. Cooper. in a paper on
Good Roads" read before the farm
ers' institute NJ Shelbyville. after show
Ing that the present system of road
Ha"tng in vogue in Tennessee Is pro-
'u"I,N" of no permanent results beyond
the "AI', ndIture of large sums of mon
cy. Sa.
But how are we TO have better roads?
In bulletin No. l, issued In 1884 by Gener-
al Stone. special agent in charge OF road
inquiry In the United States. the road
laws of quite a number of states are
given. the most of them enacted within
the last decade. 4 striking similarity
exists among the more radical of these.
The leading features OF these laws are
the election of road commissioners and
civil engineer for each county. au-
thority to issue bonds and TO borrow
money. the collection Of all road taxes
in money and the abolition OF road
Overscer. while all of them are not
Incorporated in any one law unless 1t
be that of New York. Our present law
initiates them only TO the extent of pro-
vidng for the election OF a county COM
missioner. Were all the conditions pro.
pitiouS- and this includes good govern.
ment. both state and national-the is
suanCr Of bonds under the net already
alluded to for road Improvement would
result In a speedier accomplishment Of
the desired purpose than any other
method | can conceive of.
All our main thoroughfares should
be maradamized. But can il he done
| believe 1t can. An aroused and en-
lightrnrd public sentiment is wanted.
TO illustrate: Suppose that the 44O
miles OF roads In Bedford county were
converted into pixies mt n cost of SiOO,-
600 aud . per cent % year bonds were
issued and sold to pay for them. wnat
would be our annual interest charge!
Twenty thousand dollars. What would
we have to show for it? 4 county
system of roads unsurpassed In Ameri.
ca. But what did We pay in 1889!
Twenty thousand two hundred and
| ninety -four dollars and sixty eight
cents What did we have to show
same old mud roads, but little i'm.
| proved.
Estimating the taxable property of
the county at S5.OUOOOO. Il tax Of
mills. or two-tifths of per cent on the
dollar. would pay the annual interest
| But suppose we should undertake this
! by inStallments, say one-quarter, OF
10 miles at a time, that would reduce
! the cost to One-quarter OF the above
| calculation. Or suppose we would un
| dertake to pike One-half, or 40 miles
of our roads, and these the most I'm
portant and leading to our trade cen
terS. leaving the other half to be look.
ed after by the official of the best gen
eral road law, we can get them and
| in that event our annual Interest
charge would be $4,000 a year, which
could be discharged by road tax levy
| OI - llllIlS Ou lllt oul pltotb'
property, to say nothing Of its in
! creased value or of the influx of cap
| ital that would be sure to seek invest
ment in so desirable a locality.
What Is said above is applicable tc
all the surrounding counties, and
may say to the entire state. Hamilton
county In east and Shelby county IL
west Tennessee being examples. This
law is simply permit to each county
by authority of a two-thirds vote Of the
entire vote of the county, to ISSUE
bonds to the extent of per cent OF
all the taxable property for the pur
pose of improving its roads in any
manner the people may think best oil
desire.
AS said above, 1t might be an i'm
provement in the law to amend II sc
as to require u majority vote instead
Of two-thirds. This IL democratic anC
would certainly make the law more
available.
| have no means Of knowing, neither
will the limits Of this paper permit
me to more than allude to the losses
the farmers of Bedford county have
sustained for the lack of better trans
portatlon facilities. These are con
stunt. | am sure. however. that the
losses on timber alone in the last two
wears would amount to Il very conSld
erablp part Of the money necessary t(
make Il system Of good roads
A farmers products are worth tt
him the market price minus the trans
portatiOn to market. Good roads WOult
reduce this expense and convert the re
duction into profit. The better thu
transportation facilities. the faster de
cities and trade centers increase II
wealth The same is true of railroads
The better the roads. the greater th'
stimulus to production and the CREATE
the amount of freight furnished then
to handle.
So from a financial standpoint, cal
conceive of no interest that would no
be benefited socially, educationally ant
religio,lsly. The benefit to the countr!
people would be incalculable. The tld'
would change. The drift would be Il
the country instead of to the towns
and cities. Daily mails and free de
livery would soon follow. ProSperit.
would abound. and peace. contentmen
and happiness. as benson. would res
ON all the people. This is n subject II
which we are all interested. 1t EN-
braces both profit and pleasure.
Guild e bOn rds and Danger Signals.
Ji,,iv nf tho