The Forrest City times., 1907-01-04
GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT
MEMORIALS AND PETITIONS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE LgoISLA- TURF ASKING FOR LAWS TO ENABLE COUNTIES TO
 BUILD AND IMPROVE
 ITS ROADS.


 State asking that laws be enacted en. abling the counties to build and i'm. prove its highways.
 MT. Hawkins has addressed the fol. lowing open letter to county judges and mayors, secretaries of Boards of Trade. Business Mems Leagues. Far. mers' Unions. labor unions and Ar kahsaw Travellers of the State of Ar kansas from Arkansas Good Roads As sociation:
 Honored Sirs-On behalf of the Arkansas Good Roads Association. | take pleasure in addressing. through you, as representative factors of our great commonwealth, every voter of the State.
 May We not, as we near the close or perhaps the most prosperous year In the history of the State. extend to you word of cheer, a happy Christ. mas, and hope that your next years may be better personally and for the State.
 The fifth annual convention of the Arkansas Good Roads Association is now near at hand, and We take this means Of asking your immediate as. slstance. We meet in Little Rock the last three days of January, 190T- z9th, 30th, and 3lst. Let us make it the largest convention ever assembled in the State. Our purpose is to have rom 5000 to 5000 delegates and wis ltors. Will you not aid us i'll forming this tremendous delegation.
 Get the numbers, but look well to quality. This must be q representa- tive pody Ill every way, and will be. All county judges, road commission. CTS, overseers, mayors, secretaries and presidents of all the aforementioned organizations are eX-ofiicio delegates to this convention. No credentials needed Let county judges select ten delegates. mayors five, with one ad ditional for every thousand of popula tion. Let each local farmers union and labor union send delegate. Let boards of trade send one, and aid us In seeing that their respective cities and counties are represented Let the Arkansaw Travellers send one dele gate for each congressional district and ten for State at large
 Let each member of the Executive Committee select ten delegates. Let civic improvement associations and other organizations looking to the de yelopment of the State, send dele gates, one each.
 Having secured the endorsement of the Farmers Union. S3, 900 mem bers in the State and the various or ders representing labor and business development we propose to present the claims of more than 100 900 voters to the incoming legislature
 The enclosed petition-memorial to legislature. Find a good man who will work two hours and fill one just 50 names. Write name of county and fold, then mail as post card. We want 50,000 signatures to this petition NineV-nine men in every hundred en- dorse this memorial Notice the one signed up in other part of this paper.
 "Gentlemen, judges. mayors, secre- taries, etc, write me at once. Write me freely. Let us make one long, strong pull together and put Arkansas to the front. Nothing will do it as will a good system of good roads. Yours for a big convention, Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year,
 U. s. HAWKINS, Secretary"
 Legislative Memorial.
 The memorial to be presented to the legislature is as follows.
 We the joint committee taken from the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union and the Arkansas Good Roads Association, recommend an agreement upon the following ap- peal to the Legislature of 1907, con. tending for three things:
 "First-A law requiring convict la bor to be put on the public roads. thus placing same out of competition with free labor As well as aiding in road construction.
 "Second-A law securing State aid In such a way as to equally distribute the burden of taxation necessary for the construction of public highways, putting this burden upon the railroads and other corporations as well as up on real estate and other property. This we would have done in such way as 10 construct and maintain good public highways at public expense to the entire release of free labor as now so unjustly imposed upon the labOrers.
 'Third-For the immediate relief especially to river and bottom coun ties. we ask such amendment to the constitution of the State as will per init any such counties as may so de- sire, indicated by majority of votes cast in a separate special election In such county or counties. to issue cer- tificates of credit. as is now done by improvement districts in cities for the construction and maintenance of good roads. And furthermore to allow any and all counties of the State to ac- cept any appropriations made by county, state or uation for roed pur- poses as suggested by bills now pend Ing in Congress, or such others as may from time to time be introduced
 Endorsed by Farmers Union, Ar kansas State Federation of Labor. Boards of Trade and Business Mems Leagues. and by hundreds of voters personally.
 Notes.
 "Gentlemen. you will please pardon us for insisting that you act at once the very day you get this letter. in paper. and see to it that your county, ,.onr town Your organization is rep