The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-06
APLEA FOR GOOD ROADS.
How They Could BE Obtained in
Georgia.

Levico, Austria. May 22.-Editor
Morning News: I begin this with
yours for Greater Georgia" and start
out with the assumption that Georgia
needs help to develop her many re-
sources. 1t is said the Lord helps
those that help themselves" which
makes our way clear. The question
with all of US is. How shall it be
done? Shall we advertise and spend
our resources and energies in inducing
people to come in. only to find they
could have done as well or better in
some of our neighboring states, and
perhaps after brief residence moving
TO some other location, or shall we
ourselves commence and carry through
a system of post roads, from the noun
taiNc TO the ocean, and from the Sa-
vannah river to the Chattahoochee, and
thus put our state in the proud po-
sition of being a leader among states?
Picture to yourself such a system of
roads through Georgia, not built for
to-day. but, like the roads of Rome
and. Australia, built for all time. What
an advertisement for your state! You
could not keep the better classes OF
people from the North and West from
appreciate the good roads and make
the kind of settlers we are now seek
ang Road houses to accommodate
man and beast would spring up along
the roads. and life in the country would
be much more attractive than at pres
ent Ii would be an object lesson to
the people. Fences would be straight
ened up or abandoned, the buildings
painted or whitewashed TO compare
favoIa bly, with the new road. When
a farmer wanted TO build a new road
he would know how TO do it. Penn
sylvania has lately voted $1,000 O00 for
road Improvement; New York state
has also voted a liberal amount. Why
wait until every other states has good
roads, and has the desirable emigrants
that we should have, and could get, If
We had good roads? The day is not
far distant when we shall see traction
engines with broad tires hauling a
dozen wagons. il we have good roads.
Twelve or fifteen years ago I was
a delegate for a number of years to
good roads congress. We used to
meet in the Chamber of Commerce in
Atlanta, and we had some able men as
delegates, but we could do nothing at
the time. But the time has come that
we must do something to keep abreast
of the times. We are waiting for
other people to come in and do for
Us. II won't do. There are too many
inducements elsewhere. Let us do
something to help ourselves. With the
government building new public build
ings all over the state, appropriating
large sums of money for harbor i'm
provements, 1 don't see that Georgia,
as a state, is doing anything for her
self. Years ago, when a railroad 20
the West was needed she built the
State Road to Chattanooga. A few
years ago she built a new capitol
building. l cannot think of any other
public work she has been engaged in,
if we except her railroad experience
in reconstruction days. State expenses
are increasing. No one knows where
the pension list and school taxes will
carry US. We must increase the taxable
value of the property in the state. Ii
can be doubled easily by establishing
a system of good roads. Country life,
as seen in Europe, will follow the good
roads.
In rainy weather the farmer doesn't
venture out for fear of sticking in
the mud. When he has good roads he
will be able in such weather to go TO
town, and carry three or four bales
of cotton or bring back two tons of
guano, with single horse. On the
average roads in Georgia 800 pounds
is now about a load.
In conversation with j. NJ. Stude-
baker. al South Bend, Indiana, last
summer. seeing that he was building
delivery wagons, and other vehicles
with motors attached, l asked him
what part motors and automobiles
would play in the future. He said
they would take the place of the horse
to a large extent.
In view of such prospects it be-
hooves us to have the good roads
ready. Good roads would solve the
short haul problem. We shall have
the railroads with us in our efforts to
build good roads. They know good
roads bring people with money into
our state as settlers
Don't talk about building railroad
from Atlanta to the coast There are
more roads in that direction than are
needed. Sell the State Road to the
highest bidder and put the money in
highways. If you cannot so apply the
proceeds, redeem bonds and apply