The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-04-10
ROAD BUILDING
FOR KENTUCKY
BOSworth-W Wyatt Amendment
Will Permit Millions to
Be Spent In Public Highway Con-
struction--To be Voted on
Next Year

When Gov. Wilson signed the Bos-
worth-Wyatt bill providing for a con-
stitutional amendment,he made pos
sible the submission of a proposition
10 the people of Kentucky that will
mark an epoch in the State and be OF
far-reaching effect.
The proposed amendment to the
Constitution pledges the credit of the
State to counties in building public
roads and highways and provides that
the various counties may issue bonds
to the extent of 5 per cent. of the to-
tai assessed valuation of property for
taxation for the purpose Of building
public roads and their maintenance.
This is a most radical departure, as
under the present Constitution each
county is limited in its Indebtedness
for all purposes to per cent. of its
assessed valuation.
The measure as first introduced fix
ed 10 per cent. as the amount to which
each county could contract bonded
Indebtedness for road building pur-
poses, but this was regarded by many
Senators as entirely too much and the
limit was cut down by amendment to
per cent. in which shape it passed
the House and was approved by the
Governor.
The amendment will be voted on at
the regular election to be held in No
vember, 1909, the Constitution stipulat
ing that amendments must be voted OF
at an election for members of the
Legislature. This is the only con-
stitutional amendment that was author
lied to be submitted by the late ses-
sion of the General Assembly. Another
amendment, providing for a change in
the system of taxation and demanded
by all the business organizations in tn
State ,failde to get through the House.
Under the law only two constitutional
amendments can be submitted to the
people in one year.
Should the Bosworth-Wyatt amend
ment be ratified by the people it will
signalize the beginning of an era of
road building in Kentucky the like of
which has never been dreamed of,and
will result in placing Kentucky in the
| front rank of States with a modern
system of highways. In the event that
the amendment is adopted the succeed
ing Legislature will enact a statute in
conformity with it's provisions and to
carry it into effect. 1t is contemplated
to create a State Highway Commission
to supervise the building of roads
which wHl be in charge of expert high
way engineers.
Gov. Wilson in his last special mes
sage to the Legislature called atten-
ton to this proposed amendment to
the Constitution and the lasting ben
eft that would be derived by such a
change in the organic law, providing
for State aid to road building. 1t is
ment that the crying needs OF the
State are good roads and education.
They claim that these go hand in hand
and one cannot be attained without
the other.
Under the workings of this amend
mendment to the Constitution of Ken
lucky, a county with an assessed prop
ery valuation of S10,000,000 will be
enabled to incur a debt of a half mill
ion dollars to extent and perfect its
road system. When the matter was
discussed in the Legislature, the Sc
rious handicap under which the peo-
pie of the mountain section of the
State and other localities labor becaus
of their inability to have modern
roads, was fully brought out, and to
this condition was attributed the
cuase of illiteracy so prevalent in the
sections without good roads facilities.