The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-07-20
ALLAN RODGERS
ON GOOD ROADS.



Allan Rodgers, the well known good
roads advocate, Ia Jacksonville Metrop-
ola, sHggeats some practical ways
which our people should read, ponder
over and adopt.
The tendency Of great minds 10 run in
the same channel e forcibly Illustrated
by q recent news item from the Key
West Inter-Ocean. "A movement Il
already on foot" remarks the Key
West paper, Ito circulate a petition
requesting the Senator'S and members
of the next Legislature to enact q law
prohibiting the taking Of turtle during
the laying season, and also to prevent
the robbing Of turtle nests. b"
No one but q modern Moses or a lineal
descendent Of King Solomon could ever
devise such mighty measure, and the
mind that thunk the think deserves to
rank with those great minds that in
former Legislatures placed upon the
statute books numerous laws to protect
fish and other Shiny things. The last
Florida Legislature failed to pass some
small and Insignificant measures, but it
passed some large and far-reaching ones
which will make its place in history
perfectly safe. Among the very small
ones was a bill to create a geological
survey, a pure food bill, bill to create
q department of State Insurance, bill
to prohibit child labor in factories. On
the other hand, the large measures in
cluded number of bills to protect fish,
bills to protect wild animals, bill TO
prohibit the shipping of intoxicating
liquors through dry counties, bill to
prohibit the shooting of alligators, and,
the greatest enactment of all times. q
bill to prohibit the shooting of limpkins.
Most of the large. measures became
laws, while the smaller ones have min
gled their ashes with the dead and for
gotten past.
To Judge the future by the past, this
turtle-turning, turtle nest robbing act
will become law and take its place in
Florida history side by side with the
limpkin law. To round out the past
and usher in the present century it
should do so.
And just think how early the pro-
moters of this great scheme are begin
ming by petition to launch the thing
things, like draining the Everglades,
convict leases, and other small affairs
are spoken of In whispers.
ROY stones GOOD SUGGESTION
But the good roads people seem to
have the bulge on this turtle egg prop
osition, and speaking of good roads
brings TO mind: Upon the convict la
Dor question let US understand" said
Gen. Roy Stone before committee of
the New York Legislature, that q
thousand idle men are being marched
about in Sing Sing prison today for ex-
ercise, whose labor, II properly directed,
could provide the material for thou
sand miles of good roads each year, and
that the honest industry of the country
pays for maintaining these criminals in
idleness. In conclusion, gentlemen,
wish to disabuse your mind of any false
impression regarding the necessary cost
Of road construction in this State. You
need not be thinking Of S., 900, or s., 900,
or even 81, 900 per mile for good roads.
Some of the very best roads in the
United States are now being built for
81, 900 per mile, and, except in the
neighborhood of very large towns or
cities, that price will be quite sufficient
to calculate upon for the State OF New
York, and il proper State aid is given
and wisely applied through your State
Highway Commission the share of this
cost to be paid by local property will
mot be burden.
HOW TENNESSEE DID 1T.
Progress of Road Construction in
the United States" is the title of q
booklet, No. 10, cent out from the office
of road inquiry, Washington, d. G. On
page Al: "Mr. Chairman and gentle
men, remarked Mr.. Bennett, Of Ten
nessee, before the National Road Par
lament, ''about eight years ago we
found in our jail force Of convicts
who were there for small misdemeanors,
petty larcenies, etc. We found we had
no roads, and we concluded to apply
this force TO the construction Of roads.
The county had 70 pay the sheriff 20
cents per day TO keep these people con-
fined in Jail, and on that account it be-
came q very prominent economic ques-
ton. We bought road equipment and
began the building Of roads. We found
the sentiment of the people 70 be against
the confinement Of the convicts. They
look beetef and cost the county less BY
being outside the Jail We employed
engineers who laid out roads on scsen-
tiAc plans.
THE TELFoRD sYsTEM.
They used the Telford system on
soft ground. Our roads cost from S22S
10 efb0 Per mile 20 build. We roll the
~TelfOrd before We put on the macadam,
making the surface smooth. We have
Sbom most eeolIoGnical 20 far 80 Tepairs