The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1903-06-19
AN eBLE PIPER
Delivered by Hon. n. w. Long Before
the Good Roads Convention.


sioners aud good roads association of
Florida:
In accordance with the universal
custom of all organized bodies, as
your executive head, / hereby submit
for your consideration a brief report
of my official acts since the adjourn
ment of our last convention.
There being no provisions made 10y
the convention to enlarge upon its
action, and prOmulgate the same
throughout the state, l proposed an
address "to the people of Florida, es-
pecially to the several boards of county
commissioners, boards of trade, good
roads associations, and other business
organizations of Florida, and the
members of our legislature and our
representatives in congress-" in which
/ elaborated and stressed the neces-
sity, feasibility and utility of such
legislation as was recommended by
your association. had three hundred
copies printed and mailed copy to
each organization and person to whom
it was addressed; and in addition
mailed copy to the President of the
United States, the secretary of agri.
culture, the director of public roads
inquiry, the president Of the national
and international good roads organi-
cation and a copy TO thirty governors
, of states. Ia response | received
many letters of COMMUNICATION and
also a requisitiOn from Director Mar
tin Dodge for fifty additional copies
for distribution. This and Others de-
mands necessitated having one hum
dred additional copies printed. Hon.
A. S. Mann came to my rescue and
did heroic work in visiting different
localities of the state where he ad-
dressed the people assembled and
| did all he could in formulating sen.
timent in favor of improved roads. He
also took charge of the newspaper de-
partment and did efficient service in
getting q number of the legislature to
commit themselves to work for good
roads legislation. By mutual consent
il was deemed best that Senator Mann
as state organizer should call a good
roads convention to meet in Tallahas-
see during the session of the legisla-
ture which was done. The atteu-
dance was not large but was enthus-
iastic. The house kindly turned over
its hall for our use and stirring speech
es on the importance of good roads
were made by Senator Mann and
others TO an attentive audience. Those
attending as delegates held a meeting
the next day and agreed upon the
outlines of a good roads bill. We
then secured an audience with the
legislative good roads committee
N NJ not n f,.,. .-fs,
upon the different points we had
agreed upon to be Incorporated in the
bill, indicating that they would stand
| by Us when the bill was introduced.
l remained in Tallahassee about a
week ana left the good roads legiSla-
ton i'm charge of Senator Mann. The
Wales Beard muddle at that time
created divisions in the minds of the
members of the legislature and quite
number being absent on duty as
visiting committee made it ap unpro-
pItous time to secure legislation in the
interest even OF good canse.
The first of June 1 learned that the
specific measures We had asked to be
enacted into law had been killed and
the outlook indicated but little being
done in the interest of good roads.
The average member of the legisla.
ture acted as il he believed the Ell.
actment of laws authorizing the sever
al boards of county commissioners to
levy taxes that would be burdensome
to their constituency constituted
craftsmanship, when in fact the then
existing law authorized the levying
and collecting of about all the taxes
they were able TO pay. The relief
wanted and needed was more money
to build good roads without addition