The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-06-19
GOOD ROADS CONVENTION.
Now Has n Good
Roads Association.
Organization Perfected at the Morning
Session and Omccrs Named--Seyeral
Subjects Discussed.

agriculture. lie prefaced MS remarks
by saying that the humiliating confes-
sion must be made that the public
highways of the United States, as com
pared with those of other civilized
countries are VIGOROUSLY the worst in
Christendom. He then gave clear and
concise history of road building and
famous roads from the time of Abra-
ham down to the present. The ster-
eoptican views showed some of the best
known highways of Europe, and the va
rious systems and methods of construct
ing good roads, the prime object of the
speaker during the major portion OF
his discourse being to illustrate the
difficulties often encountered in road
building and the methods by which
they may be overcome. His review OF
road building In the United States was
especially interesting. Briefly stated
he advocated plenty of drainage and
wide wagon tires as the best preserva-
tives of the public highways and he
pointed out concisely how good dirt
roads could be built and maintained.
At the conclusion of the address the
convention adjourned.
THE COMMITTEES NAMED.
Chairman Redhead announced the
appointment of the following commit
tees in accord with the motion adopted
prior to the adjournment of the Fri
day morning session:
Committee on Resolutions State at
Large, C. NJ. Wilkinson, Judge j. c.
Longstreet and Judge Merriweather:
first district, w. B. Ellis, S. b. Allen;
second district, j. B. Boothe. A. Dock
cry; third district, T. G. Dabney, y.
H. Stone; fourth district, John NJ. Am
brose. r. j. Boswell; fifth district,
Henry Royal, c. B. Gibson; sixth dis
trict, f. f. Brown, J. H. Price; sew
enth district, j. l.. McCaskill, S. d.
McNair.
Committee on Permanent Organiza
ton State at Large, Monroe McClurg,
Chas. b. Galloway and James X. Var
daman; first district, J. L.. Power,
proxy for w. b. Ellis, and J. c. Cal
hoon; second district, |. G.. Holloway,
C. NJ. Brooks; third district, O. F.
West, VIM. Curphy; fourth district,
Robt. Scott, n. p. Stuckey; fifth dis
trict, S. McGary, S. N. Sample; sixth
district, G. II. highlands and Robert
Norwood seventh district, r. W.
Stewart, J. l.. McCaskill.
SECOND DAYS SESSION.
The second days session of the Good
Roads Convention was called to order
by Chairman Redhead at $50 o'clock.
Hon. G. NJ. Williamson, chairman of
the committee on resolutions, sent to
the desk a resolutions declaring that
the time has come for the people of
Mississ ippi to make an earnest, intelli-
gent and persistent effort for a general
system of improved highways and to
this end the legislature should enact
laws to put into effect a State aid sys-
TEN, by which the State government
should provide for the payment of a
considerable portion of road improve
ment in the several counties, through
a cooperative system by which any
county may avail itself of State aid;
that all road taxes should be paid in
cash instead of being worked out, and
that the roads should be worked by
contract, with liberal powers accorded
boards of supervisors for government
of the system; that there should be a
State highway engineer; that laws
should be passed governing the width
of tires used in hauling heavy loads
| Mr.. Williamson spoke briefly in sup
port of the resolution, setting forth its
| good points and salient features. He
was followed by Capt. J. d. McInnis,
1 chairman of the railroad commission,
who offered an amendment declaring
it to be the sense of the convention
| that the convicts of the State should
| be worked as far as possible on the
| public roads. He suggested that the
| board of control should formulate a
plan by which the convicts could be
| thus employed and the Governor be
| requested to recommend this in his
message to the legislature, but the
| working of convicts not to interfere
| with the self-support of the peniten-
tiary, only the convicts not used being
employed at road work.
Maj. Dabney spoke against this
| amendment, thinking it wise to say
nothing whatever concerning convict
labor, and that Mississippis solution
of the convict problem is at present
happy and satisfactory. He proposed
| an amendment to the amendment pro-
viding that the money profits from the
convict farm system be used in work
ing public roads.
Maj McInnis replied to Mai Dab
ney's remarks, saying that the plan of
working the convicts on the roads is
| feasible and practical.
Governor Longino made strong and
earnest speech in opposition to work
ing the State convicts on public roads,
saying that the convicts at present have
all the work they can do and a new
farm had recently been purchased, thus
committing the legislature to the farm
system of working the convicts. He al
so opposed the amendment of Ma.
Dabney, saying that he favored the
State aid, but that the financial sys-
tenn of the penitentiary should not be
come involved in the matter He urg
ed the delegates to follow a conserva
tive, middle f-the-road policy.
President Moore, of the National
Good Roads Association, made brief