Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-08-11
.TAZEWELL FOR
BETTER ROADS.
TUESDAYS Meeting at The Court House Here
Shows Our People 10 be Thoroughly Alive
to This AlI-lmportant Matter.

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The Good Roads Club of Tazewell
county met at the court house on last
Tuesday morning at IL o'clock with
good attendance. President Ewing
Lawson called the meeting to order and
stated that the object was to secure
the signatures of those who wished to
become members of a club favorinp
good roaGs; that the idea of the club
was to study the question of good roads
and devise the best means of securing
the same.
The president announced that the sec
retary, DIR. R. P. Copenhaver, could
not be present, and ]. A. Leslie was
elected temporary secretary. The pres
ident then appointed J. A. Leslie, II. S.
Bowen and W. A. Thompson a commit
tee to secure names for membership,
and then called upon those present to
express their views frankly on the sub
ject of good roads and how best to Sc
cure them.
George Moss was the first to respond
and he said that his travels over the
county showed that one dollar spent
when needed would equal three dollars
now; that Burkes Garden paid 81, 100
road tax, and that SITS had been spent
for roads in that section; that at one
time the county had $40, 900 road funds
in the bank, and at the same time was
paying interest on $4,000, from which
it derived no benefit, and called for
systematic effort in the collection and
expending of road funds.
c. ]. Moss called attention to the fact
that out of six hundred miles of road
in Tazewell, there were only fifteen
miles of really good roads in the county,
and that the blacksmith bill of any
farmer on account of bad roads would
more than pay the tax assessed for q
bond issue of $500, 600.
]. B. Hurt, speaking for the Pounding
Mill vicinity, stated that there was only
three-quarters of a mile of good roads
in that section.
E. L. Greever made the principal ad-
dress of the meeting. He said that the
people were thoroughly aroused con-
corning the matter of good roads, anC
that while as a body they moved slowly
when in earnest they were irresistible
that everybody wanted good roads, al
though it may be that they are not yet
agreed as to the best method of secur
ing them, and wanted them quickly, SC
as to benefit every person in the county
that good roads were question for the
best thought of engineering skill, anc
said that great care should be employed
in the selection of superintendents; that
personally he favored bond issue; that
counties were corporations, and moi
hampered by the restrictions which sur
rounded individuals in contracting debts
Answering a question propounded by h.
M. Smythe, the speaker said that $780,
900 expended in good roads would in.
crease the farming value of lands in the
county from twenty-five to fifty pc,
cent.
Judge ]. H. Stuart cited the expert.
ence of Maryland, Indiana and the Car.
olinas as to the increase in value OF
property brought about by good roads
in those States.
c. R. Brown advised all present to be-
come preachers and exhorters in the
matter then being discussed.
H. NJ. Smythe quoted Macauley and
in favor of a bond issue saying that
"a national debt for internal improve
ment is public blessing"
II. S. Bowen then moved toappoiat a
committee of three-two lawyers and a
farmer-to investigate the present legal
status of Tazewell roads and see what
could be done under the present laws.
On suggestion of VIM. H. Werth the
following committee WAS appointed:
E. l.. Greever, A s. Higginboths m and
H. S. Bowen. Mr.. Werth then moved
the appointment of committee of three
to collect statistics as to the loss occa-
stoned by poor roads. On the sugges-
tion of c. r. Brown the president de-
cided to announce the personnel of this
committee at some future time.
j. A. Leslie requested that Rev. W.
w. Carson be called upon to advise at
the next meeting the effects on the
moral and intellectual standing of a
community due to poor roads.
F. M. Moss requested that the COM
mittee on statistics ascertain and re-
port at the next meeting, in order to
show the wastefulness of our present
system, the amount of taxes assessed
the amount of taxes collected; the
amount of taxes spent and the amount
of taxes paid to supervisors and en-
ployees and what, if any, coed had been
done roads for the amount of money
expended.
President Lawson then announced
that monthly meetings would be held
and program prepared so that speak
ers would know on what subject they
were to talk, after which the meeting