The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

Craft in his recent address Sunday Ad- vertiser 18th instant) comes out boldly and says: Cast your vote to amend the constitution, so that the legislature can, If 1t wishes, create a highway com mission and give state aid to the up- building of our much neglected country roads," One paper says too many state officers already, and the people are tired of it. Vice President Craft says cast your vote so that the legislature may
 create a state commission, which, or course is composed of state officers.
 These advocates of the good roads movement remind me of the school teacher who, when asked by solicited patron of the school, "whether he taught the world was fiat or round?" replied
 that he taught either way, just as he thought the one or the other would please patrons best.
 MT Craft is evidently correct. No con-
 siderable expenditures by the state can be made upon roads without a state
 commission and many sub-agents, un-
 less the present plan of using commits
 sioners' courts and county boards of rev enue is utilized.
 If the state commission is created,
 will the authority be vested in the com mission to determine in what part of the
 state the work shall be first done, or
 will the legislature determine? One or the other must exercise the authority
 in determining what counties or local
 ities must be first favored. Is 1t right
 for any county to wait 10 or 15 or 20
 years or more, before they are to get
 any benefit while other counties are being built up? What chance will the agricultural counties, with small repre-
 sentation in the legislature, have to compete with the populous counties? What advantage is 1t to distant coun- ties to contribute money to build up great thoroughfare from north Alabama to the Gulf, or between any other two points in the state? True, the people ad-
 joining, and cities through which 1t Is
 contracted, will have their property values enhanced, and enjoy special priv
 i1eges, but those living at distance
 and not deriving any benefit, will be forced to contribute to the enterprise Tor the benefit of others. People do not op- feet to being taxed for education, for old soldiers or for the payment Of salaries for necessary state officers, for the peo-
 ple throughout the state derive pro
 portionate share of the benefit from these sources, and they realize it duty to sustain these causes. But how can
 this rule be applied when the benehts are to accrue to only comparative iew' as will be the case for such improve ments as will be made by state road commission?
 Again, who can hold state commits sion responsible or the legislature re- snonsible for It's action, or for waste of funds? Will the commission and sub agents be elected by the people or ap- pointed by the governor? If the former policy be adopted then we have more officers more politics, more wrangling, and that throughout the state. 1T the governor appoints, then we add to ms already excessive authority, by giving t, to make a more invincible machine. How much simpler and fairer the present plan of letting each county manage It's own road system.
 If the members of the commissioners courts, as now constituted, do not per form their duties properly they are pe- fore the people who elected them, ana the people will weigh them in the balance of availability, and If not satisfactory, will turn them out and substitute others.
 Again. there is no necessity for the movement Under the constitution, as IL is, each county has the right to appro- priate from the county revenue, TOT the working of public roads. It has the fur- ther right to impose special tax for bridges and roads. If these sources prove inadequate. each county by vote of the qualified voters of the county can issue bonds for road purposes. Thus 1t is left with the voters of each county to fully provide all the money the county can afford to expend, and the people themselves are permitted to judge TOT themselves, and supervise the working and expenditure of the money at home. This is home rule and democratic throughout. and they get the benefit of their own money. I submit this Is Tar preferable to the plan of turning over to the legislature the power to determine what roads shall be worked ana what counties shall be benefited and who snail supervise the work. Many counties nave avaied themselves of the authority to issue bonds for road purposes. Other 1 counties, so far, prefer not to go in dept and are utilizing their proceeds without an increase of taxation, or a bonded debt. the interest upon which must De l met annually, in addition to the ordinary expenses required of each county.
 We have no prisoners captured in bat tie. nor slaves, nor wealth wrung rom ! conquered countries as Rome hao' to expend upon roads, and if the reputation of Bonaparte rested only upon the roads ! he constructed, by taxation, and wealth wrested from other countries, there would be none to honor his memory. The | examnle of Rome and France might be ! ,,rged upon the federal Congress as iur- nishing a better outlet for the flow or a ! part of the immense revenues receiVed by the Unlteu otdles rum oh i'ed"i'" ble and iniquitous tarin, put can never justify a property tax upon the cltlzen. or the appropriation of money derived from a property tax for road purposes. MT Craft cites the city of Mobile as an I example to illustrate how much his own property has increased in value by the expenditure of $40,000 per mile for the i improvement of the streets of the clty. | No doubt this is true, and the owners or property adjoining the good roads estap- lished in Montgomery, Jefferson ana other counties, might also be cited. would inquire how much the citizens or Greene and other distant counties were benefited by the paved streets or the one. and good roads of the other? make the further inquiry, would 1t nave been i, right to tax the property of the cltizens of these distant counties, to enhance the | value of his property in Mobile? The | indignation of the people could not be re- strained If the legislature should tax their property and appropriate the pro i ceeds to paving the streets Of Moplie or other cities I submit there IS not one particle of difference in the prnciyie or appropriating the states revenues, aris- ing from taxation of property or all tue people. to huild up and enhance the nroperty and convenience of cities ana localities, in which they can have no lh terest I am glad he cited the instance of his own property. The streets anu roads were built up under the constitu- tion as it is It shows the value or gooo roads and good streets to the adJacen. owners and that the law is ample It certainly demonstrates not only tnere ls xf O u