The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-05
| Petition Uges Voters to
Defeat Thro knor-
ton Bill.
PATRON DESIRES
BETTER RESULTS
Says County. Has Spent $1o8,ooo
Without Getting $4,000
Worth Of Roads-Oppo-
nents Protest Against
Giving Unlimited Power
to Road Board.

Interest in the Throckmorton road
law, which Is to be submitted to tha
voters of Henrico county at the cleo
Etion next Tuesday, has reached the
against tho measure and of petition
against It, numerously signed by cit
izens In the petition, which bears
the names of number of large tax
payers. the dang ers involved IN the II
IThrockmorton proposition arc pointed
fout. and the voters are urged to go to r.
the polls on Tuesday and vote against
the new road law
Mr.. Throckmorton, on the other hand,
Ihas not been idle. In meeting held
at Highland Springs last night he gave
spent In the county during the past
three years on roads, not $4,000 worth
! OF results had been obtained He re.
ferred at length to the defeat Of the
bond issue two years ago, saying that
tthe county mustGin time come to the
proposition. Similarly, he stated, the
time would surely come when not only
| IIcnrico, but every county in the state.
would have laws similar in effect to
the one now under consideration. and |
argued that itsmight as well come now. !
without wasting any time.
Might Obstruct Building.
In opposition to the law, the petition
i to the voters of the county sets forth !
i sundry objections One of these is that |
4 giving the powerl to appoint officers /,
Ito the court "is in opposition to the
4 to be avoided" Then too, 1t is pointed
Il ljout that the requirements of unani-
] nous vote of the officers who would
. .Fappoint the road board might result
1 in deadlock and in tying up road
!, construction.
1t is also said that the county super
{. Etntendent of roads. whose appoint
Htment is contemplated In the Throck-
q q morton bill may be only "a practical
!, read builder which is said 10 be
a. rat her All Indefinite requirenlen mt, W hicf,
.Emight be stretched so as to al low al
= most any politician to fill the Q flee.
:, I3.'If the vast sums of mon ey.""i says The
i 1Epetition, spent by so-called practical
j. lsroad builders in Virginia had been
! spent by scientific experts our sttua-s
8 Etion in this respect would not be so
4 eEdeplorahle now" #
: tits further said that the road board
] would have the power to appoint as
! many superintendents and laborers as
!, it saw ft, and could multiply them
: tEwithout number. The power to con-
: demn and at the same time to appraisei
elrights of way is criticized as drastic.
4 Not Responsible.
= The fact that the board would not
: be responsible to the people, while
n having the power to ii X the amount OF
"a road taxes Is also criticized. "SNphy.
u should the people, 1t Is asked, sur
y render this power to a body Of men.
: WHO are responsible to no one"
: IN conclusion the paper states that
a the petitioners "are vitally Interested
s.. In good roads and will favor any plan
y that will be an Improvement on our
2 lpresent system; but in making aschange
q I3let us be governed by common pru-5
q lldence and know that we are not maxi
s ling change for the worse-that we
a are not king a most serious mistake,
81 (which the people of the county can
It never rectify without first securing
& the permission of the Legislature OF
a the entire State q e 5S.
" In his Highland Springs address last
Mr. Throckmorton offended his
- measure, which would take all author
= Iity over road building from the Board
g. g: OF Supervisors and vest 1t In the a. p-
y yy|}pointlye road board. He at some
e len 9Th addressed himself to answering
otSlythe objections to the measure,3 which
IS S|had already been set forth bysJud dges =.
TO- Ashby Wickham in the debate between
9; 1.-THE two at Ridge Church last wee Is
MOL
Road accounts, he said. are not &C e-
quatelyS checked up as the supervisors
direct the work and bring in their
" bills. He would not say that any money
elhad been taken dishonesty, but he
g5 largued that no business man Would
e. permit his affairs to be cond ucted wi tll-
: = out an adequate check on eNpendl dltures.
9s IL Detailing his record IN road matters.
IA The said he introduced the first ~ shill
IA 4 TN G
p.SIyofrered to tho Legislature since u 81,
as A simila bill was + later i adopt ana
70 under 1t 450 miles Of roads have been
M |ibuilt and many more are under con
tract. Only Henrlco and Lee coun-
st lsties SO 8far as he could find out, had
In defeated bond issues under lis pfoNSts
rd ions. He paid much attentlon TO the
", cost of the mud taS, making. a genera al
w w arg gument for good ROAD pul1a1hs IS
~ ~ gre sing with the objeetors to tbs
-#|tmeasure that SCIENTIFIC road building
~ was what8was needed. MI Tllrockmor,
.fsl tom sai id that was what was aimed al
s LIN the bin. He did not think most @
Ell tho e$presen t road bosses we're SCI lns
3 men. ono Il Of them, he was In formed
Sss had made a recent mistake g IN al am IN
ago necessltattng N SOS tly sehanse 1'4'
Il II 9ssitSi Gould Correct Later. 4
4 y Ia elect,ng the road commission
~ ers BY the people he had no oblecttonl
u laltho.ugh lie didsnot5 think te voter.
lfss would want to elect these &othc ls e
S5 Iplacesg with 100 sala lesr-less thai thl
lfthe sum paid to any laborer, As Il
sSl |mattersof fact, he said ineidenta ally,9 y
ws| |lswould NJ favor he election q !, sen enc &
Ns$ tu Strust tees BY the people from q list 9
cSl mos who had stood a civil sery Ices
3aminat ion. Y 8g gR sferring TO- q posi- 9!
sk "a dlpck in the appotnting board. y. q
d said he had no objection 10 q malolrlt,
ss vote. and II there we any stlelaoht lAs =
Vs| bil they coll he eufea a II Y y
1 neS 81 sessi ions Of the l.e 81 etll Y,
rgutp pg he N q INT as toI tna- a-Al.stsn.