The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-14
Senator TeaSIey Is
 Strong AdUocdte Of
 Good Road Building


 fact that the sentiment of it's inhabitants is rapidly developing not only into public expression, but effective action. It is in- teresting from a reflection of past methods, because for years these roads have been unsatisfacotrily worked by the slipshod system of appointed road over seers who congregated those persons re- siding upon their respective public high ways for a legal term of 10 days per year. This merely constituted a system of pro- ducing a series of indifferent patchwork, which invariably proved of little benefit and less permanency Seldom, if ever, did a prosecution follow a neglect of road duty, for if all hands previously sum moned were represented at roll call at the specified time and place of meeting the overseer, there was no Impeachment of any mans fidelity to the cause in com mon. Discipline under the oVerseer plan was political innovation unrccognized by events, and as a natural consequence that same inattention has redounded to the detriment of those who applied it.
 Beginning with this year, however, the public roads are under an altogether diff ferent, and it is to be hoped. much more favorable plan of improvement, namely, the contract system The county com nlissioners entered into an agreement with Hall x Stokes to work the roads on the east side of Tallapoosa river, while J. II. Wynn X Son have the contract for the west side. On the east side of the river there are 2201 men subject to road duty, and on the west side there are 15S0. Those subject, a total of 37S1 represent in dollars an annual road fund of s22,- 6S6. In the event that this amount, or work to it's equivalent, is insufficient, the law authorizes the remainder necessary to be supplemented from the general fund. The contractors guarantee that water will not stand upon any of the roads over which they now have control at the expiration of their contract four years hence.
 Robert H. Carlisle, president of the Tallapoosa County Rural Route Carriers association, and active carrier of route out of Alexander City, is not only an en- thusiastic supporter of the good roads movement, but with equal force he argues the feasibility of convict labor for the public highways. His contention is that the county convicts, now leased at $29 each per month to foreign corporations, should be placed upon the county roads in an auxiliary capacity, which, he claims, would obviate the necessity of forcing farmer out of his field for road duty at time when, perhaps, the success of his crop depended upon his immediate at tenton. In conversation with your cor respondent today MT. Carlisle said:
 Tt is very gratifying to those who travel the country roads to notice the in terest being manifested for road improve ment by our leading daily papers. Talla- poosa county is far behind in the matter of road building. We have operated un- der the old system until our roads are in a deplorable condition. The new law which became effective January l, does not meet the demands for good roads, for the reason that it does not require enough work by the contractors. The recent grand jury report says: The in tention of the new law is to require six full days in each year from each hand subject to road duty, or the payment of $6 per annum by each in lieu of the work, the money to be used on the roads, also where there was not sufficient work and money from the hands to keep the roads in good condition, to supplement from the general fund. But the law does not provide for the creation of this fund.
 There are in this county 37S1 persons subject to road duty Eighty per cent of these are not taxpayers, and 60 per cent are not even voters. This labor should be supplemented by a property tax, thereby requiring the citizens who own the property to bear their share of the road burden. Then by all means work the convicts on the public roads. The 37S1 road hands mentioned are farm CTS and they cannot afford to quit their crops during the busy season to work the roads, while the convicts could work all the time.
 Road building material is plentiful on all of our main roads which should and could be used with convict labor and purchases made of proper road machin- cry with the property tax.
 "As a rural letter-carrier and presi- dent of the Tallapoosa county association. I hope to have good roads rally at Camp Hill on May 30, which will be fol- lowed by other meetings during the sum- mer. and l desire the support of all good citizens in this movement.
 By all means keep up the fight Tor convict labor on the public roads.