Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-03-05

rs the citizens Of any other section.
They must therefore, read with salts
faction that portion of the Governors
message that bears on this important
subject. 1t is W follows:
There is no economic question
before the people of the State of such
moment rs that of better public
highways. Experts and publlclsts
concur In the opinion that good
highways are the best expOnents of
an advanced civilization.
Virginia is spending annually
about 100000 upon public high
ways without any apprecisble Cquiva-
lent In road Improvement. Ii is
manifest that the expenditure of
funds through unlntelligent admin
IstrstlOh is worse than extravSgance;
and In dealing with the road prob
lem We must first safeguard the pub
lie moneys to be expended therefor.
The construction of roads In accord
ance with improved methods aud
under responsible, capable asd scien
tito supervision are prerequisites to
the achievement of the desired end.
No house can be built without me
rhanic; no railroad without sn engi-
ueer; and no highway without eff
cient aud scientific control. There
fore, it would seem that the fret step
is the creation of commissioner or
commission of public HIGHWAYS, with
powers of investigation, supervision
and control given to similar bodies
in other States.
The financial phase of good roads
centers perhaps around three plans
which have been successfully adopted
IN many States. The first is county
tax to be levied solely for road build
ing; the second, the issuance by
counties, upon the guarantee of the
State, of long term bonds, the pro-
ceeds from which to be applied to
road construction and improvement,
such bonds being easily fioated 1T
very low rate of interest; and, the
third, the State aid plan, by which
the State undertakes to appropriate
given sum of money for the construc
ton of roads upon the condition that
the county supplement the sum from
its own treasury.
And it should be furthermore said
in favor of scientific road construc
tion that no county or State has ever
ventured upon the experiment with
out success, and that all expenditures
for this purpose have so increased the
value of property as to have proved
most successful investments
1t is not my province to frame
bill. This duty devOlves upon you,
aud l, therefore, submit this great
question to your consideration with
the hope that the expectation of the
people may find no disappointment
IN your doing that which has been
SO successfully done by nearly all of
the States in the Union.
AS factor In building better
roads would, however, suggest the
utilization aud penitentiary cOnvicts,
tramps, Migrants and certain jail
prisoners, either in the preparation of
road material or in the construction
of roads. In sister State it appears
that it took one years labor of eight
and one third convicts to build one
mile of macademized road. If We
could employ one thousand able bod
led convicts, they should construct,
at this ratio, about one hunderd and
twenty miles of road in a year. This
mileage would so increase the value
of adjacent lands that the increased
revenue therefrom would exceed the
income now derived from work done
by the convicts.
1t is true the State has an existing
contract for the working of peniten
tiary cOnvicts for term of about
thirteen years, yet many cOnvlcts
could doubtless still be secured from
the penitentiary, and the enactment
of a law by your body that those
hereafter convicted for short terms
be sent directly for service in connec
ton with the public highways would
at once prove effective IN supplying
labor for the construction of roads
and prevent the over crowding of the
penitentiary cells.
Therefore, the inauguration of
system of construction of roads by
any one of the plans mentioned in
Guiding the utilization of prison labor.
will insure highways that will be of
incalculable benefit to this State. 1t
is true the whole State cannot be
threaded with good roads in two, ten
or twenty years, but we can very soon
have a system of public roads that
will give an immense vigor to our
industrial and commercial life, and
will also facilitate social intercourse
and ameliorate the isolation and
hardships of our rural population.
A TIMELY WARNING TO OUR