The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-09

| has already affected our StaEuln6 dhAOh5
our sister States. Twice since nave
been Governor of the State have requisl-
| tions been delayed by the Governors OIL
| other States because Of the assertion that
| the prisoners If returned to this state
would be lynched. One OF these delays
| was in a Southern State and one IN a
| Northern State In both cases the prls-
| oners were finally delivered to this state
| and received a fair trial II ought not
to be necessary for the Governor of your
State to have to accompany his requisl-
ton with an assurance that the prisoner
will not be lynched. Our character as
| law abiding people, determined to be sure
| to punish the guilty when the guilt Is
ascertained in due course of law, ought
to be such as to furnish a guarantee eV-
| erywhere Of fair trial for any prisoner
for whom requisition is asked Crime must
! be punished and is punished in this state
J with as much certainty as anywhere. me
crimes for which lynchings are commit
ted ought to be punished with unerring
certainty. I cannot too strongly urge
| upon your Honorable Body, the duty OF de-
vsing some means for the efficient certain
| and speedy trial of crimes, and at the
/ same time to make such provision as VIII
! protect every citizen, however humble.
| however vicious, however guilty, against
! trial by the mob.
PUBLIC ROADS.
Good public roads are both the evil
! dence and means of prosperity. Tested
! by this statement, one who has travelled
! throughout the State would come to the
! conclusion that we are not a prosperous
people. but it is gratifying to be able
to state truly that there has been
steady growth of interest in this subject
which is now manifesting itself in many
of the counties of the State in we'll graded
and in some counties in macadamlzed
i roads In January of last year l issued
! proclamation calling a convention OF
! those interested in good public roads to
meet in Raleigh on February 18th and
! 18th, 1902. The meeting was held under
the management of MIR. Martin Dodge,
Director, and in conjunction with the
Southern Railway. A large number or
representative citizens from almost every
part of the State assembled here and the
meeting was a decided success l trans
nit herewith a copy of the resolutions
passed by that Convention. 1 note with
pleasure from the public press that many
/ County Associations for the Improvement
of public roads have been formed and
that your Honorable Body will be asked
to pass such Legislation for many coun-
ties as will enable them to improve their
roads. The need for better roads is too
manifest to require arguments in support
of them. You can do no greater service
to the people of the State than to en-
courage by every possible means this
| good work
! The last General Assembly passed an
Act authorizing the construction of a
turnpike from Wilkesboro in Wilkes
county, to Jefferson, in Ashe county, and
directed the States Prison to furnish
convicts to the corporation formed for the
purpose of constructing said road, the
State 10 take stock in the corporation to
the value of the services of the conVicts
furnished. Early last spring the corpora
tion organized and secured subscriptions
| to the amount of ten thousand dollars
for the purpose of building said road.
The corporation then called upon the
State to furnish the necessary conyicts.
] This has been done and the road is now
being constructed, some five or six miles
of it having been completed. The road
when completed will be the best in the
State. The engineer estimates the total
cost of the road at forty thousand dol
lars. The convict labor Will probably
amount to 1925 000) twenty-five thousand
dollars. When this road is completed
have very little doubt that it will be
j paying investment, but apart from the
: pecuninary returns to the State in the
/ Of hr IOr Of no
country into which it goes will add ma
terially to the wealth of the State. At
present Ashe county is much more con-
nected in trade and otherwise with Vir-
ginia and Tennessee than it is with the
rest of North Carolina When the turn
pike is completed one can leave Raleigh
! at one o'clock in the morning and take
supper in Jefferson the same day re-
gard this as valuable work and one
which long since ought to have been ac-
! complished.
| There is another Act Of the Legislature
requiring the penitentiary TO furnish con-
! victs and take stock in turnpike to be
constructed from Marion, in Mcdowell
county, to Spruce Pine, in Mitchell
! county, and from Spruce Pine road to
i huntsville. in Yancey county, and sep
arate read from Spruce Pine to Bakers
/ VILE, in Mitchell county 1 hope that
this Act will be permitted to remain on
! the Statute Books. | know Of no greater
work which the State can do than in
constructing these roads where it is i'm
possible for them TO be built by private
enterprise or by county effort. The total
cost of the road from Marion to Burns
vile and Bakersville will probably
amount to sixty thousand dollars Cs60,000),
but the investment of the convict labor
in these roads in addition to the dividends
which they Will probably pay, brings
that section into close touch with the
balance of the State. The people of
! Yancey county have already begun build
! ing a road from Burnsville to Spruce
Pine. If the Legislature should be of
opinion that the building of these roads
is a wise thing for the State to take a part
in, when the road from Wilkesboro to
Jefferson shall have been completed, it is
my purpose to turn the fifty convicts
now al work on that road oyer to the
Marion and Burnsville and Bakersville
road
THE CODE COMMISSION.