Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-11-21
FOX GOOD ROADS
To Enlist Interest of Counties,
State and Nation

State and Nation
Says the Roanoke World: The
Southwest Virginia Good Roads
Association met yesterday at ~
O'Clock in the directors room OF
the Norfolk and Western, Presi-
dent L. Z. johnson presiding.
What the meeting lacked in at
tendance was made up in the deep
interest taken in the proceedings
by those present.
President johnson presented a
paper making the following recon-
mendations.
/. We shall urge each county
10 command the services OF engi-
neers in the State highway.dspart-
ment of Virginia.
2. We shall advocate the en-
ployment OF competent engineer
and road builder in each county as
coon as expedient, the appointment
to be made by the chief engineer
of the State.
3. We shall advocate that all
roads shall be constructed by con.
tract.
4. We shall urge that all taxes
for road purposes be paid in cash
and kept separate from district
and all other accounts.
5. We shall urge a liberal ap-
preparation by the State in the
next General Assembly which will
be known as Estate Aid for Road
Building" 1t is our information
that this method has been adopted
by nineteen different States and
each and all of these are making
substantial progress in road con-
struction.
8, We shall advocate national
aid or an appropriation by the
Federal government to assist the
several States and territories in
road improvements. In the first
section of the Federal constitution
it states that the government is
authorized to Establish postoffices
and post roads,. The policy ad-
opted by the government of rural
mail delivery and the appropria-
ton of twenty eight millions by
che recent Congress is a strcng
arg ument why the government has
more than an ordinary interest in
the national system Of road build"
ing.
7. We shall urge that the labor
of all able bodied detectives,
known as Migrants, tramps, paupers
and also inmates Of jails, peniten-
tiary shall be placed in stockades,
gravel pits and stone quarries and
shall prepare material, load it upon
wagons and cars and place it upon
public roads. Roads can be built
cheaply end extensively and crime
and criminal expenses will be
greatly reduced if this method OBJ
tains in ali States and territories.
All sections were discussed ably
by Mr.. johnson and others called
on for opinions.
On motion of Senior Stellar OF
Wythe, the president was author
lied to appoint committee of
three to prepare bill to be pre-
sented to tho Legislature covering
Section 5.
President Johnston made q
strong talk on Section Z. He said
1t would be in the interest of hu-
manity to take the convicts out OF
prison into the freeh air. No one
would endorse a criminal, but there
were men who committed crimet
while suffering from disease, and
there were others who owed their
crimes to surroundings. Open all
work would make them better men
Some objection was made on ac-
count of the alleged dangers to wo-
men from convicts, but he had YET
to hear of a single case where d
crime had been committed by con
victs working on the reads. MI.
johnson ssid he had recently made
trip through the south an'
was impressed by the great in
provement made on the roads by
the work Of convicts. "The Tai
Heel State, said Mr.. johnson, "i'
far ahead of Virginia in respect i(
good roads as the sun is ahead OF
the moon in light