Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-01-20
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1905
THE ROAD QUESTION.

The heaviest tax paid by the people
OF Lawrcuee County for any one pur-
pose, is the road tax. And the tax it.
self is insignificant as compared with
the loss and inconvenience resulting
from the use of bad roads. Placing the
number of road hands in the County at
the conservative estimate of 1900, labor
assessment of five days, commuted at
eeventyfve cents per day, we have a
total cash value of labor, $4,000 per
year; to which add about $4,000, road
tax on property, and VT have total OF
$4,000 dollars per year, or during the
last ten years $50, 600 that has gone to
fatten the mud holes of Lawrence Co.
Under the present system there is abso-
lutely no check upon the commissioner
in the disposition of money collected
from the road hands except his honesty
and no remedy where he applies it i'm
properly through lack of judgement
Judicious management of State, County
and School taxes has given gratifyin.
results. The fact that the large expen-
diture on the public roads has produced
] but little. if any improvement, is proof
that the system is wrong, or impractical
in its execution. The impractical feat
ures of the present law are, lst., That
It makes the tax district instead of a
county fund, so some localities have an
ample fund to build pixies if properly
applied, while there are long stretches
of bad roads that have very little, and
are ofequal Importance with the others.
End, The impossibility Of getting COM
missioners who know how to make roads
and who will give the necessary time
and attention for the amount of money
they are paid 4tb., The lack OF a
check system that will enforce a strict
account of every dollar received and
disbursed.
Isuggssa law, giving the County
Court power to lay out, or designate GER
tain roads as County roads, and others
as district roads; certain proportion of
the road tax to be applied to the Coun-
ty roads, The remainder to the district
roads in the district in which it origi-
mates; a certain per cent Of the labor or
per capita assessment to be paid in cash
to the Trustee, the remainder in work OF
money on the district roads. The Coun
ty Conrt at its April term to elect three
s or five commissioners, who shall give
bond and oath for the faithful perform
ance of their duties. One of them
should be civil engineer, or a person
skilled in laying out and constructing
public roads, who shall have charge Of
the County roads; the district roads tc
remain under the district commissioners
1t slrall be the duty of the County com.
missieners to put the entire mileage UNI
der their supervision in reasonably good
repair, after which to begin at the points
most needed to lay out, straighten, GU
down grades and construct as much frs
class road as the funds at their command
will admit. Every mile of good roa(
thus constructed will reduce the mileage
to be worked next year and consequent
ly increase the amount that can be ap
piled for that purpose.
These sections of properly constructed
roads will be object lessons to the dis
trict supervisors and result in NOR,
intelligent application of their resource
This is not proposed law in detail
only an outline of my idea of road Law
Let us all begin to agitate, If necessa
ry hold mass-meeting in Lawrencebur;
on first Monday in February. get up
law applicable to counties of gi.er
population) aud ask the Legislature t
enact it.
]. A. WEIGH.
West Point, January 16.
We take pleasure in presenting
the above very timely suggestion
Of Esquire Welch, for the consid
Grafton OF our readers, and gladly
use our editorial space for that pur
pose. There is no more importan
problem pressing upon the peopl
of Tennessee for solution, than thi
Road Question, and we will freel,
give space to communications OF
this subject, Let us hear iron
others, and let Us all bend our Ell
srgies TO the betterment of Law
renee County roadS.