The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-14
Says That Good Highways Are the Greatest Developers
 of the Age
TALIAPOOSA COUNTY
 HAS CONTRACT SYSTEM
G. w. L. Smith of Brewton Advocates State and County Boards of En- eineers Who Shall Have Charge
 of Road Construction.

Montgomery, April 1S.-(5pecial) )-State 1 Senator Charles s. Teasley of this city, one of the most enthusiastic friends of
 good roads, takes the ground that efficient l highways are of inestinable value ill 8 county and state. Discussing the ques- | tion for Tine Age-Herald, Senator Teasley said
 Good roads in my opinion are the greatest developers of the age No other public improvement affords so much com fort, convenience, while at the same time enhancing the value of property in the locally affected to a greater degree than
 the total cost of construction. This has
 been the experience of Montgomery
 county in road building. h addition to
 this the burden of every farmer is light
 ened in the way of labor saving, time, etc.
 q recall time only few years back when it would take farmers of this county 1 from two to four days to make return | trip to the city of Montgomery, while 1 at the present time with our system Of l good roads any farmer residing in the l remotest district (with few exceptions | and roads are now being built to then) | can come to market and return home
 the same day if he So desires.
 "Time is not the only saving. With the I same facilities he can now market from l two to four tons of farm product, where | before one ton was the maximum haul. | Every farmer having the advantage of i good roads saves at least one-half of the 1 expenses of marketing his product | Interest in good roads was first aroused l in this county about fifteen years ago. l At the general election in 1894 the question 1 of issuing $30O,0 of road bonds was sub | mitted to the people and was carried by 1 narrow margin Strange to say, the l vote in the rural districts came near de-
 feating the issue. The bonds were sold
 and the system of road building, which 1 has proved a blessing to this city and | county was inaugurated The proceeds
 of these bonds and large annual sur
 plus from the general fund was expended in this improvement. The movement al | once became very popular, 1t seemed
 everybody wanted good roads regardless | of cost.
 with these funds all roads entering
 the city of Montgomery were graveled | or or.cherted from eight to twenty miles out, | making a total construction of approXi- | mately 150 miles during the years 1895 to l 1900 Road building at that time became l so popular, when the legislature of 19OO-l | met the representatives of this county | passed a bill authorizing an additional | issue of s125,0O0 for the purpose of con l tinuing this improvement, but when this l amount had been expended there was l still large section of the county where l roads had not been extended. This caused | some unrest among the people of that dis | trict Having taken an active interest m l this subject and being anxious to see all 1 main roads improved to the county line,
 I took the initiative in advocating an issue | of $250000 to complete the system Ihe
 question was submitted to the people
 at the general election in November 1906,
 and was carried practically unanimous l ly. These bonds have been sold and the l board of revenue is now making contracts | for the extention of the more important 1 roads to the county line and when these 1 contracts are completed Montgomery l county will be second to none in good l roads,
 q expect to take an active interest | in the constitutional amendment, author l izing the expenditure of the net proceeds l of the convict department in the building l of good roads throughout the state, which l was submitted to the people by the last legislature I believe the adoption of | this amendment will mean more to the prosperity and development of our state than can be imagined by the most op- tinistic.
 .'The question of appropriations for better highways Is no longer 1ocal-it IS now a state issue and I predict that within the next few years it will be na- tional one. As subject the more 1t is
 agitated the more popular it becomes and it's importance cannot be estimated.
 "The waterways of the nation have been successful barriers to the people against unjust freight rates to points Of competition, and confidently believe that interior modes of competition in the con- struction of good roads will do more to | insure the people just freight rates than all of the legislation both state ana ha- tional, for the next one hundred years. l .'The system of rural free delivery. when further advanced will necessarily force the national government to provide post roads and this will enable the state and national governments to cooperate in this great work. No state, however. can expect help from the national govern
 ment in this work unless it shows dis position to help itself. For this reason I deem the adoption of the road amenu- ment of great importance nj this timc. s.The system of good roads in this coun- ty has more than. doubled lana Vaiues. Tn many instances lands have increased in worth from 200 to 300 per cent 'Pecuniary advantages are not the oniy ones derived from good roaos. They en- courage tine more frequent 'ntermlngilhs of the people, larger attendance at schools and churches, ali of which tends to the upbuildlng of communities. both morally and intellectually. Any continuity nav ing the opportunity of securing sood roads. either hy additional taxation or otherwise, anc does not accept It does it. self and posterty q great injustice, which it will sooner or later reaiiaa ana re- gret."