Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-12-15
GOOD ROADS FOR
.TAZEWELL ASSURED.
Meeting Held on Tuesday Last Indicates
That Half a Million will be Spent 10
Improve GOunB'S Highways.


Ewing Lawson, who explained that on
account of his having been elected to
the position of Professor of Animal In
dustry at the Virginia Polytechnic In-
stitute, at Blacksburg, he would have
to resign as president.
F. Nj. Moss, of Burkes Garden, was
then nominated and unanimously elect
ed as president, and he assumed the
chair
George w. st Clair in short speech
suggested the method to be adopted for
the distribution of the proposed one
hundred and fifty miles of road in the
county be apportioned fifty miles to
each district, and a motion was then
made that committees be appointed
in each district to select the road they
wish improved.
E. L. Greever, who had been appoint
ed committee to investigate the law
with reference to the bond issue, re-
ported that no new legislation was nee
essary to hold an election for bond
issue.
George w. St Clair was then called
upon to submit figures relative to the
valuation of property subject to assess
ment for road purposes, and stated that
on looking the matter up he found that
city property was subject to assessment
If bonds were voted, ard revised figures
will be published later.
President Moss then called attention
to the fact that the assessed valuation
of land was fictitious and that it was
really worth at least four times the
present assessment, and said that good
roads would be worth to lands four
times the taxes paid in increased pro-
ductive values.
j. N. Harman, the next speaker,
called attention to the fact that corpor-
ations paid one-fourth of the taxes, but
favored good roads. This brought out
remark from one of the audience that
the farmers were not kicking
E. l.. Greever then called attention to
the fact that large contracts could be
handled more cheaply than under the
present system, and that bonds would
only be sold as needed; that if the pro-
posed plan of building roads by bond
issue were fully explained there would
not be enough kickers left to count. In
answer to question Mr.. Greever said:
"The direct benefit to every land owner
in the county each year would more
than equal their whole assessment for
the entire bond issue.'
William H. Werth then made a stir
ring address, saying, in substance, that
there were only two classes of people
in the world-progressives and moss
backs. The progressives, he said, be-
lieved IN moving forward, the moss
backs in standing still. We must de-
eide, he continued, which of the two we
are, as good roads were an expression
of progress.
DR.. J. R. Hicks then made motion
naming three men from each district, to
act as committee and select the roads
on which their proportion of the bond
issue should be expended.
E. L. Greever then offered a substi-
tute resolution that those present from
each district meet and select their COM
mittees, which was carried.
A short recess was then taken that
the various districts might select their
committees.
On call to order after recess the
three magisterial districts reported
their selection of the following persons
to act for their districts:
Clear Fork-J. Walter Graybeal, H.
S. Bowen, VIM. Pruitt.
Jeffersonville-W. L. Moore, ]. Ed
Peery, j. P. Whitman.
Maiden Spring.. G. Barns, r. K.
Gillespie. S. B. Ward.
After discussion as to whether the
best basis of apportionment of funds
was on the basis of assessed valuation
or area, V. L. Sexton offered the fol-
lowing resolution:
Resolved. that the magisterial
committees appointed report to a
mass meeting at Tazewell on JanuI
airy a, 1911, their selection of roads
in their respective districts to be
built, so that steps can be taken to
present the matter to the court in a
proper manner to order an election
for bond ISSUE" which carried.
Capt. A. j. Tynes then addressed the
meeting, after which it adjourned.
That good roads are needed in Taze-
well none will deny, and it is a self-e
dent fact that no one is satisfied with
the present system of roads or tie
method of improving them. That there
is, and has been, an honest difference in
opinion as to the best method of pro-
cedure in securing good roads, is not
questioned, and the meeting of Tuesday
did much to clear the way as many, who
had previously opposed bond issue, left
the meeting saying it was the only log
ical way to secure good roads and keep
in the van of the progressive counties