The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-11

 s1 per cent are improved We have one mile of road for over thirty-six inhabl- tants. but only one mile of improved
 road for every thousandth inhabitant. We spent on our roads last year A,750,OOo In eludng cash and labor. Thirty-one dol lars and fifty-seven cents per mile or Sb cents for each inhabitants. France main
 tains her splendid system of roads at a cost of 4S cents for each inhabitants an nually We spent moro money and ef-
 forts on our roads last year than we spent on our common school system. Still
 we have the worst roads In the world. It
 casts thirty times as much to haul ton
 mile over our dirt roads as it costs over
 a railroad and seventy-five times as much
 as by water. All this waste of money and
 labor is due to the absence of a system
 of road construction and maintenance. l
 beg you gentlemen to give us founda-
 tion on which to build good roads for
 Alabama. Before you adjourn create a highway commission. Make the commits
 soner of industries and agriculture its
 president and authorize the governor to appoint two associates. Require this com
 mission to collect and disseminate infor-
 nation on the subject of road building, authorize the governor to appoint one of the professors of engineering either at the
 University or Auburn to act as state high
 way engineer Make 1t his duty to visit
 the different counties and localities en-
 gagged in road construction, advise with
 those in charge of the work as to grades, drainage and the best material for road
 building.
 Grades. drainage and material are the
 essentials in road construction These gentlemen will all be glad to serve with out compensation, except actual expenses.
 The President appointed me a member of the inland waterways commission without
 my knowledge. The law does not attach
 any salary to this position. I accepted
 it because I though l could be of serv-
 ice and benefit to Alabama and the south.
 For the same reason these gentlemen will
 serve. Give us a start. Don't be afraid
 of the people. AThey are leading in this
 fight for good roads. The agitation will
 go on until the work of road building will
 begin in earnest. But we will never
 have good roads in Alabama until the
 state aid the counties in the work.
 Twenty-two states are now appropriating
 money to aid the counties in road con
 struction. Do you think 1t fair or just
 to require the farmers who live in the
 country and on the public roads to build
 and keep them for the benefit of the
 general public. They could not do 1t if they were willing.
 1ne burden Is more than they can bear The ads belong to the public and the public ought to help build and maintain them. Nothing can be moro beneficial to a state than good roads. No expenditure is can make will increase It's revenue as
 much and contribute as much to the 1 general prosperity as that made for road l construction. Some gentlemen tell us that the state cannot appropriate money to build the roads, as the constitution for
 bids the state from engaging in works of internal improvement The legislature appropriated money to build school
 houses Is not that internal improve
 ment? Don't you think it would be a good idea to build a road to the school house so the children could go to 1t
 without swimming the creek or pulling through the mud? You can set aside the proceeds from the hire of state convcts 10 the road fund: order it paid to the 1 highway commission and by them dis tlibuted to the several counties in the
 same proportion that their population
 bears to the whole population of the state under regulations fixed by law This money is not raised by taxation,
 an1 it Is in no sense a part of the
 revenue paid into the treasury by the
 people as taxes. It properly belongs to 1 the counties and should be returned to l them as a part of a road fund. If you l can do nothing else amend the consti- | tuition so that the state can aid and CO., 1 operate with the counties in road build l Ing and to that end l suggest he fol- l lowing amendmen to the organic law:
 Section 8. The state shall not be in
 terested in any private or corporate enter 1 prise, or lend money or its credit to l any individual association or corpora l tion nor shall the state engage in works l of internal Improvement, nor lend money l or it's credit in aid of such; provided l that the state may under appropriate l laws, cause the net proceeds from the state convict fund to be applied to the l construction. repaid or maintenance of l pubic roads in the state, and tho legis- | latura may also make adltlonal appro- 1 priations for that purpose"
 Expect National Aid.
 Alabama must get ready for national l aid which will come soon as sure as [ l stand before you. l shall use every pos 1 sible effort while 1 am a member of | the Senate to bring 1t about No one 1 questions the right under the federal con- | stitutor of the government to appropriate | money to aid in constructing post roads, but some claim that 1t is paternal.
 1 If it is paternal we have always been 1 paternal. Calhoun, Clay and Webster, in their day were all advocates of govern | ment aid for road construction and one | of MT. calhoun's best efforts was made 1 in advocacy of a bill appropriating money 1 for this purpose. His speech may be found | in the annals of the Fourteenth Congress,
 second session, volume 2, page 851 The government has aided in building many | railroads in the country by land grants and bond fssues We have improved riy-