The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1903-03-19
ROAD MEETING
THURSDAY NIGHT
Was Held at Court House
and Largely Attended
By Citizens.

large body of representative citi-
zens of the town and county met at
the court house on last Thursday night,
pursuant to call, and discussed the con-
Gition of public roads and the bestiplan
to work them.
Hon. Seaborn Crowley, of Roswell,
was made chairman.
Judge Geo. +. Gober was the first
speaker. He spoke of the good roads in
other counties and states how they en-
HANGED the value of land and that the
farmer was the most interested and
would be the one mostly benefited AS
1t would take money to build good roads
it meant the raising of money to do it.
BY legislative enactment, county bonds
| could be exempted from taxation which
would be equal to | = per cent, and he
thought bonds could be sold for 80 per
cent, which would make it practically a
five per cent bond.
Hon. S. A. Anderson was opposed to
issuing in one batch 100000 worth of
bond, but would be willing to issue
| bonds and sell them as they were need
ed. He was in favor of working the
| roads with convict labor.
Col. W. K. Power presented some
practical thoughts on the subject, and
believed best to give the present sys-
/ tenn now in operation fair trial before
| anything else was done as it was on us
for three years and by proper under
standing and cooperation of the people
the best results cold be obtained.
Mr.. J. Gid Morris favored good roads,
working them by convicts, having por-
table stockade, get money by dispen-
sary if we could, if not issue bonds, but
he said it would take 100000 to put the
roads in CoOb county in good substan-
tial condition as were maintained in
Fulton county.
Mr. Charley Shelverton, of Austell
doubted the ability to float a three per
cent bond, but he was Convinced that
the bad roads travelled over from Aus
| tell to Marietta was an argument for
| good roads. He thought working the
roads by convict system would be bene-
fetal, and if we kept our present rural
mail free delivery, we would have
| to maintain better roads for the
carriers to travel, or more of them
would resign, as he learned some had
done, as the bad roads were killing
their horses.
Mr.. Jas. 7. Anderson was not in favor
of issuing bonds, but believed that the
best thing to do now was to back the
! Ordinary in carrying out the present
alternative road law-that the Ordinary
had road working machines, and by the
purchase of rock-crushing machine and
roller, the work, when spring opens up,
could be done satisfactorily, Let the
grand jury recommend that the Ordi-
nary borrow eight or ten thousand dol
lars to supplement the amount of money
raised by Communication tax, and by the
working of conyicts, good system of
| roads could be constructed.
vote of the audience on this propo.
sition was taken and adopted
Judge John Awtrey said the law now
in force was not his, but as the servant
of the people he was carrying it ont.
He didn't believe the people would vote
for bonds. His idea was to make sue
cess of the system now on us for three
years before another experiment was
tried. There were 1900 road workers,
which would give 81 800, and there were
800 miles of roads in Cobb county, and
if all these roads were made good, then
the people would have to put their
hands in their pockets. To work the
roads with convict labor would take
cash in advance to buy them, and it
would prove costly, $3.50 per month
some convcts would die, others would
be pardoned, guards have to be en-
ployed, physicians in attendance and
stockade built. Barlow had tried it
but abandoned it. The present alterna-
tive road law was the only law, however.
| 4.
He believed the system now in vogue
here would be preparatory work, that
would later justify working convicts,
Mr.. E. 2. Dobbs believed the working
of convicts would bring US good roads,
as he noticed only those counties had
good roads that worked convicts.
Mr.. w. r. Edwards, of Acworth, was
opposed to bonds, believed in good roads,
was in favor of county commissioners
as they had in Fulton county, and the
working Of convicts, and believed the
81 800 raised by communication tax, sup
plemented, would bring good results
Mr. S. Crowley was in favor of bonds,
but as they could not be readily OBJ
tanned, he was lin favor of Mr. Ander-
sons proposition for the Ordinary to
borrow $4,000 and aid in the expense
of working the roads under the present
system with convicts.
The meeting then adjourned