The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1910-08-23
CLEAR CALL FOR GOOD ROADS
Oliver Raises a Voice Of Logic,
Reason and Progress and Points
the Way-Admired the Grand
Old Ten of Buford.

CORES pu1elcc OF AAC @NAInaA
am all alone and every lady has
gone to the picnic at Carolina Acad-
envy. Just across the county line in
Mecklenburg.
attended a picnic and speaking
Of all the Lancaster county candi-
dates yesterday at Ballair, once a
historical town in ante-bellum days,
when Uncle Sans mail and the
passengers and their baggage were
carried by four-horse stage coaches
from Charlotte to Camden. To-day
that road has been graded and you
can see automobiles spinning along
at 80 miles an hour. The first time
| travelled that road was in February
1856. | was then 10 years old, and
there has been more work done on
that road in the last two years than
had been done in fifty years before
There are men kicking over there
because the road supervisors can't
grade every hog path in the county
and have it all done at once. Rome
was not built in day. My idea is
to work the trunk lines with convict
labor and the branch lines with free
labor.
The Southern Railway owns more
miles of road than any company in
the South. She is double tracking
her trunk lines, but is keeping her
feeders in good running order. The
day is not far distant in Union coun-
ty when bonds of thirty years stand
ing will be issued to build her roads.
These bonds should be payable half
in fifteen years, Our roads will then
be half built, and at the end of thir-
ty years pay the last dollar OF the
bonds and have our roads finished.
Some people are opposed to such
law and say they don't want to leave
their children legacy of debt. But
the issuing of these bonds will leave
your children and grandchildren
legacy of mile of graded or Maca-
dam road every thirty days for thirty
years. Then tell me what you can
show me to-day. Mud knee deep on
our public highways in August. To-
day Monroe township has graded
roads which are fine for nine months
in the year, but they can't stand the
rain and freezes of the winter, when
the farmer needs them worst, She
has been struggling with her roads
for ten years and is ready at all times
to extend to the other townships the
Macedonian cry, come over and help
US and we will help you. No man
ever saw a true team when the horses
pulled one at the time. So let US
adopt the motto of Kentucky, United
we stand, divided we fall. Noah
Websters good old blue back speller
told me when | was a boy that land
was valued according to its nearness
to market. 1t used to be called four
miles from Monroe to LaBatt's cross
roads, or Tindle place, but to-day it
is hardly three, and bee line, and
the prettiest road in Union county.
So let US have the bonds and the
trouble will be over, for Union coun-
ty bonds are gilt edge.
Give us trunk line from the John
P. Morris place to Waxhaw and a
three mile short cut from George
McManus' to Marvin and Mecklen-
burg and South Carolina lines; then
our Union county farmers will cease
hauling guano over the Mecklenburg
Mcadam roads from Pineville.
Many thanks to the Democratic
Executive Committee for giving US a
voting precinct at Marvin. There
are one hundred voters in a radius
Of one mile of our town and every
one Of them have their names regis
tered on board the old ship Of Dem
ocracy and when the roll is called on
the first Thursday of next November
they will answer to their names.
My friend David Houston once told
me that almost all of the indictments
Of ante bellum days recorded at the
court house were headed on this
style: 1.-THE State against Bill Smith,
he being without the grace of God
and possessed of the devil" That
disease seems to be contagious, es-
pecially in Clear Creek township in
Mecklenburg county and in Buford
township in Union county.
In ancient times it was the Gus
tom to ring the Curfew bell at the
hour Of execution of condemned
man. lam sorry to say it, but it is
a fact that the Curfew bell has rung
in Union county more than once, and
| imagine as the clapper Of that bell
swung too and fro it said what the
man condemned for manslaughter
said while the red hot iron was i'm
printing the NJ. S. in the heart Of his
..-lA lnuI MGol nn.n A. CA.4n "