The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-08-13
An UnseemIy Controversy as to Facts.

the recent anonymous statement IN
regard to the expenses oil the good
road camp in this parish. and says
the authorities in the parish have
published" etc. Now the statement
WAS without date or signature, and
without the authority of any official
or even a citizen of the State or par
ish, and the Chronicle has been mis-
led in the matter. No one knows
what the good roads have cost the
parish of DeSoto, and the statement
given out without sponsor is a
farce intended to bewilder the people.
Mansfield Enterprise.
The tatement in question occupied
twof full columns of space in the Mans
field-Journal of July goth. We pub
lished last week the recapitulation
or summary of the statement. The
editor of the Journal. in his leading
editorial for that week, in part. CON-
ments on this statement as follows:
1.-The figures were taken from the
books kept at the road camp, and
are, therefore, reliable. They might
he called official, MS they are a dupli-
cate of the statement on file mt { he
office of the State Board OF Control.
Ii any one doubts their accuracy he
can satisfy himself by writing to the
president of the board, Hon. W. w.
Heard, at New Orleans. The police
take it, against the road, as the con-
struction is entirely in the hands OF
the Board of Control.
1.-The sta teMent shows the number
Of miles of the model road that has
been built and the cost per mile.
The fourth certificate having been
sold, there is now cash balance on
hand, or was at the time the state
nient was made, OF 1920. 6S, enough
to continue the work until January
of next year Besides, one of the cer-
tificates has been cancelled, leaving
sis, 900 Of certificates unpaid. At
the present cost of the road per mile
the parish will be able to build the
100 miles as contemplated, and
should the amendment to the Consti-
tuition to be voted on in November
he ratified at the polls and the State
give the parish as much money as
will be spent from the 2-mill fund,
the authorities will have enough
money to build $50 miles of road.
securing two roads through the par
ish from north to south and from
east to west. The running expense
account of the road is rendered
monthly aud is open to inspection
by any citizen at the regular meet
ings OF the police jury"
Now, we have no part or parcel in
the controversy with the Mansfield
Enterprise, but we do want to know
the facts as to the building OF roads
in DeSoto parish, because the people
Of Grant parish are deeply interested
in the truth of this matter. A late
editorial sqnib in the Enterprise con-
tains this language:
"The Shreveport Times says that
the DeSoto dirt roads are being built
at cost of from $500 to $500 per
mile. There never was more reck-
less assertion. This may be true Ms
to the cost, but our parish is paying
nearer from $4,000 to $4,000 per mile
under the Sanders plan"
If we can understand plain English,
the above paragraph says, that,
while it may be true the actual cost
of building dirt roads in DeSoto par
ish is from $500 to $500. yet the
pan ish is paying nearer from $4,000
to $4,000 per mile. This is bald
statement OF graft" and positively
charges that the affairs of the parish
are in the hands of set of thieves
that the police jury or somebody else
in authority is robbing the public
treasury of the difference between
$500 and $500 and $4,000 and $4,000.
This is serious charge and should
be rigidly examined into by the grand
Jury. 1t is either true or false. The
editor of the Enterprise should make
good his charges Of corruption by n
statement of the facts. or he will rest
under the imputation of making
reckless aud slanderous statements
that he has not backed up by evil
dence easy to be obtained.