The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-03
Association Had an Enthu-
 siastic Meeting.
More Than One Hundred Earnest delegates Assembled in Mont gomery-Committee Named l to Secure Necessary
 Legislation.

If earnestness of purpose could build good roads in every township in Ala bama. the 100 and more citizens of Ala bama who gathered yesterday at noon in the Montgomery Council Chamber, would soon accomplish this result. It was the annual meeting of the Ala bama State Good Roads Association and no more enthusiastic. determined or pro- gressive set of men ever assembled in Montgomery.
 Delegates were present from a majority of counties in the State. Many Probate Judges were there; progressive and prac- tical farmrs participated in the discus sions and the prevailing sentiment was that the public highways of Alabama must be improved if Alabama Is to go forward.
 Hon. R. R. Poole. State Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries and Presi- dent of the Association. presided over the meeting and the Secretary. J. Asa Rountree of Birmingham was present. Two sessions of the Association were held and many members of the Legisla- ture were present in the afternoon. Captain ]. M. Falkner of Montgomery, Representative F. s. Starr of Dallas County. Representative J. A. Wilkinson of Autauga County, E. F. Roden of Birmingham, Colonel Hiram Hawkins of Barbour County and C. w. Hare of Tuskegee were among the speakers. One of the most interesting speeches
 of the day was made by B. B. Smith of Montgomery, who as al civil engineer has
 been engaged in building roads In Jack
 son County. The convention appointed a committee,
 with Captain Falkner as chairman, to
 prepare a bill for presentation to the
 I.egisls ture empowering the Board of
 Revenue or County Commissioners of the
 several counties in. the State to call cleo,
 tions so that the voters of each cofinty
 may vote for the issuance of bonds or to
 tax themselves for the purpose of build
 ing and maintaining public roads.
 The convention also endorsed bill
 pending in Congress which creates a National Bureau of Public Roads. Late in the evening the convention ad- journed sine die and many of the dele gates left the city last night.
 Opened With Prayer. The convention was called to order at F o'clock by Mir Poole and an eloquent invocation was offered by Rev. A. l.. Andrews, pastor of the Dexter Avenue Methodist Church.
 MT. Poole addressed the convention
 briefly. He said that as President of the Good Roads Association he had called the
 meeting to discuss needed legislation and was glad to see the good attendance of citizens of Alabama.
 Capt. J. M. Falkner of Montgomery was then introduced by MT. Poole as one
 who never failed to respond when called
 upon in the interest of Alabama. Captain Falkner was applauded when he arose to address the convention on 'The Good Roads of Alabama"
 In opening his address Captain Falkner declared that if Alabama was to be built up at all 1t was to be done by Alabama people,
 "The tims has come,' said Captain Falkner, ''when we must do something to improve our roads if we expect to keep pace with other States of the Union. We must cultivate public opinion that will get our people to a notion that good roads are necessary-to a public opinion that will not sit passively by and see the course of a public road changed because tree falls across it."
 Captain Falkner said that under new conditions in Alabama counties would have to regulate the matter of roads. This, he thought. was correct as road con ditions were local conditions and no gen. eral rule would apply to them. It Is a public duty. he said, to provide adequate public highways. Some of the counties of Alabama he said had done well in this respect. Jefferson. Montgomery. Madison and Jackson Counties had done
 themselves proud in building roads.
 The eyes of the whole country, Captain
 Falkner declared, are now on Alabama,
 and it is the duty of the people of Ala
 bama to make Alabama what Alabama
 ought to be by improving its roads. There
 is no use to try to get people to come
 to Alabama until the roads are ejimproved.
 Dirt Roads Beat Railroads.
 We've quit building dirt roads, said
 Captain Falkner, "since we began build
 ing railroads. I'm a railroad man, fel-
 low citizens, but I'd rather see one good
 road built over which we can drive with
 comfort and economy than to see six
 railroads built
 This sentiment was applauded.
 Continuing, Captain Falkner showed
 that in States where there are good pub
 lie highways lands are sold for $50 and
 s1Oo an acre and In States where roads
 are poor lands are sold for from $1 to s
 an acre.
 He recommended the appointment of a
 broad-minded. discreet committee to take
 the matter of roads to the Legislature and urge the lawmakers to frame stat utes that would extend to every county in the State.
 Captain Falkner appealed to the far
 mers of Alabama to utilize their brains as we'll as their hands. There has been practically no road building in Alabama. l Before the war every man had been able | to care for the roads For a long time
 after the war the people were too poor | to build roads Now the people. the State and the counties are able and now is the l time, he said. to begin building roads | It was a question that must be agitated