Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-07-06
Monster Automobile Parade Fol-
lowed by Speeches at the Court
House, Marks Opening of Con-
vention for Good Roads.
ATLANTA JOURNAL GIVEN
HIGH PRAISE FOR
ROAD MOVEMENT
President White Calls Session OF
Congress to Order and Speeches
of Welcome Are Made by City s
Officials.
By Royal Daniel.

(Special Dispatch to The Journal
CCRDELE, Ga, July 5.-Good roads
and free mail clasped hands here today
In magnificent and enthusiastic cell
ebration of the national day of indie
/ pendence, beginning with a monster au-
tomobile parade at 10 o'clock this
morning, followed by brilliant speeches
at the court house later in the day.
when the Georgia Good Roads club
met in its second annual session.
Tomorrow the Rural Free Delivery
United States Mail association will
meet here in annual session, and as
good roads and free mail are necessary
to each other, the delegates to both
conventions are joining forces to make
the two meetings pronouncedly sue
cessful.
HOTELS ARE CROWDED,
Cordele awolxe this morning to a new
chapter in it's history and celebrated
during the day with more than Fourth
Of July patriotism, for there is local
epoch-making season at hand, marked
by crowds of delegates here working
for. good roads and the presence OF
scores of visiting automobiles from
various parts of the wiregrass section.
The hotels are crowded with rural
mail carriers and automobile people
and good roads advocates.
Immediately following the parade u
automobiles. which started in the CEN
ter of the city at 10 o'clock this morn
ing. consisting Of nearly a hundred
cars in line, the annual session Of the
Good Roads Club OF Georgia was
called to order by President Fred L,
White.
The day is frightfully hot, and the dele
gates were advised to remove their coats
and collars, IL they desired, and to use the
big palmetto fans ad libitum. President
White announced that time and expert
ence and observation had proved that the
rural mail carriers were right more than
a year ago In demanding that they be
given good roads.
PRESIDENT WHITE TALKS.
Good roads and free mails" said Presi-
dent White, "gO hand in hand, and II
we have a good mail service, prompt ana
reliable then the mail carriers must have
good roads over which to carry the mails.
The latter is essential to the efficiency OF
the former and unless the counties of the
state wake up to this fact and build
good highways and keep in good repair
those already built, we will never have an
efficient mail delivery service as we should
have, for the simple reason that some
OF the Georgia roads have been and are
even now, Notwithstanding the agitation
in favor of good roads, well-nigh impassi
ble."
President White made a brief resume
of the history of the good roads organl-
cation, recounting the struggles, disap-
pointments and victories, and making a
strong plea that now is the time and
this the place for active enthusiastic con-
cert of action.
COVER GIVES WELCOME.
The official address of welcome was de-
livered by Hon. o. T. Cover, of Cordele.
Mr. Cover declared that even the, wealth
er joined in making the reception warm
and hospitable. Some of the roads in
Crisp county are good, and some are bad.
and some hardly worthy the name of
roads," said the speaker. but the situn'
ton in Crisp county is rapidly changing
now It is no longer necessary now to
argue the goot roads question with peo
pie They have been slowly but surely
educated along that line within recent
months. The question of Importance now
is How are we to get good roads. and
when? Now is the time to do something
he added.
HON. w E. STEED SPEAKS.
In a strong plea for good roads. Hon.
w. E. Steed. Of Taylor county, responded
TO the address Of welcome. Colonel Steed,
a former state senator. declared that he
spoke both from the standpoint Of expe-
Renee and observation. He was a traveller
over country roads, and said he knew
what he was talking about. He said he
had long been hearing about good roads.
and was now for the first time seeing
some OF the actual results being accom-
plished.
''5heretofore. however" said Mr.. Steed,
there has been more talk than any
good roads in Georgia is a reality. It's
fact"
WHITE PRAISES JOURNAL
Hon. Fred L. White, president of the
thing else. The hour for speech making
has passed, and the day of doing things
I has dawned 1t is no longer q dream
/ Good Roads Club Of Georgia, said today:
! THE work of The Atlanta Journal In
I delivering its papers to subscribers along
J the line of the Georgia railroad during
! the recent strike was one OF the most
magnificent Endorsements or the good
roads movement that could have possibly
/ been made The Journal demonstrated
! to the public. the merchant and farmer,
| that good roads in Georgia are absolutely
/ essential It was proof positive that the
people are no longer dependent upon the
| railroads for transportation, and showed
I conclusively that with good roads the
/ automobile is a great factor in the future
advancement Of the people"
| SENATOR STEED COMMENDs.
! Ex-senator Steed, who was listening to
/ the declaration of the president, smilingly
/ added: And The Journal could almost
= settle the port rate question with its big
automobiles II the people would only give
! them good roads"
Col. w. H. Doris, prominent lawyer
and patriotic citizen of Cordeie, assured
! Colonel Steed that Crisp county would
/ contribute her share to the good roads.
1--WE are good roads people here said
/ Colonel Doris. 1.-The county commission
! ers of Crisp only recently met and recon-
/ mended an issue of 10000 bonds for good
! roads, and the last grand jury recon-
mended an issue of 100000 for use on the
public roads. That looks like business,
1 doesn't It? And more than this, Crisp
! county has had more than fifty convicts
| at work upon it's roads since April, and
. 49, l...Lla ....a,-