The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-03-18
GOOD ROADS CONVENTION.
Sheriff Greer Makes an Interesting Re.
port on the Jackson, Tenn,
Meeting.


haven for jackson, Tenn, to at
tend the good roads convention to
ba held on the 11th and 18th.
We arrived here on the morning
of the 18th in a driving rain, and
were met at the depot by our
friend, Mr.. James Hickman, an
old Lincoln county boy, who es-
corted US down town, where we
we're taken charge of by the COM
nfttee on reception, and homes
secured for us.
After securing breakfast we
| wfre invited to the Court House
tdattend the opening of the con-
vention. In the organization of
the convention, we, with delegates
from other points of Mississippi,
we're enrolled as regular delegates
and invited to take part ia the
proceedings of the convention.
The convention was made up Of
farmers, business and professional
men, and taken all in all, was a
body of as fine looking men as
one would see in lifetime.
The object of the convention
was to secure good roads and the
drainage of the marsh lands of
West Tennessee.
The first number on the pro-
gram was drive over the roads
of Madison County, but on ac-
count of the heavy rain falling at
the time, this was postponed un-
til the rain ceased. The first lee
ture delivered was by Mr.. j. M.
Heiskel, of Memphis; subject,
The Scandal uf Bad Roads and
Streets The subject was ably
handled by the speaker and he
clearly demonstrated to those
present that great many of the
drawbacks that beset the South
today are traceabIe directly to bad
roads and streets. He also show
ed US that after we had once
built road we at once proceeded
to make it bad by the use of mar
row tired wagons.
The next speaker on the pro-
gram was Hon. L. G. Long, Chair
man Madison County Good Roads
Commission; subject, Good
Roads of Madison County, Mr..
Long told of the awful condition
of the roads before they were
built up, and of some of the strug-
giles they had to encounter before
they could get the people to adopt
.sa.Ea sTstem to hetterstheir coudi,.
tinn. He also told of the difficult
ty they had in securing the mater
iaI to build with; that after max
ing an investigation they found
that they had not all ounce of road
building material in the County
and must therefore buy and i'm
port the material used in better
ing their condition. a distance of
more than one hundred miles.
He also told of the low. wet lands
surrounding two sides of the city
that must of necessity be levied
before any material would stand
any kind of traffic.
He told how, at first, they met
all kinds of opposition from the
land owners, in securing necessary
rightsofway, over which to lay
out the roads. And at one time
it looked like the world aud the
devil had combined to prevent any
success whatever. But gradually,
as few miles were built, the
people began to see some of the
benefits to be derived from good
roads, and opposition began to
melta way, and they we're inter
ested in extending them. He also
told how they had gone on from
small beginning, and had up to
the present time issued three hun
dred thousand dollars in bonds,
the most of which has been ex-
pended and not breath of sus-
picion or scandal had ever been
whispered against any one con-
nected with the movement. He
showed again how the people had
met the interest on these bonds
and provided for a sinking fund
to redeem them without material
ly increasing the tax rate. He
said that the farming land Of the
county was held in large bodies,
the most of which was uncultivat-
ed and given in to the tax assessor
at very low valuation, but when
the roads were built, or even pros
pective, this land was bought up
at good prices in small holdings,
on which we're built good homes
and consequently the increase in
the valuation of property offset
the increase in expenditure. He
told US that the roads of Madison
county were not only the pride of
the county, but the pride of West
Tennessee as we'll; that people
from all parts of the country vis-
tied their city in order to see
their roads and many thousands of
dollars annually were left in the
city from this source alone; that
went out into the regular channels
of trade, and not only helped the
business man but the farmer as
well. He told of the capital that
had come in their community, in
duced solely by the advantages
offered by the public highways,
and predicts for his county the
brightest future possible.
The next lecture Of Importance
to us was the one delivered by
Mr.. Vernon Nj. Pierce, Chief
y 4 \