The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

We wish to extend our appreciation to Hon. Arthur c. Jackson for the invitation
 extended by the secretary, MT. J A Rountree, to the Daughters of 1872, TO offer any suggestions they wished to the I ourth National Good Roads congress, which was held May 25-24, 1911, In Blr- mingham. The suggestions offered were
 unanimously adopted
 The International Good Roads congress, held in Chicago, September, 1911, also in dorsed the work of the Alabama Daugh- ters of 1872
 And especially is your chairman in- debted to Hon. Logan Waller Page, direc- tor of the office of public roads, for val uable data on roads and highways and bond issues in the southern states. Many of these communications passed between Mr, Page and the chairman before the organization of the Alabama Daughters of 1872 was effected.
 And, as many of you know, the chair man. who has been at work on a book The Romance and Legends of the Old Roads and Trails in America which she began in 1909-dscussed with you then the Jackson highway as a monument to An drew Jackson. The book will go to press this winter Much of the data has been given to the press in behalf of the Jack son highway. But the building of the Jackson highway was launched into ac- tive campaign under the auspices of the Alabama Daughters of 1872 last May, and your committee started out with buoyant spirits, thinking there would not be a dis sentng voice in the state of Alabama for a monument in the shape of a highway through the center of the state to Andrew Jackson, who redeemed Alabama from savagery and gave it to civilization. As ycu know, there is no monument to An drew Jackson in Alabama.
 The purpose of your committee has been to stimulate interest in the Jackson high way as a monument to Andrew Jackson
 to connect the lakes and the gulf in a commercial way, bringing the north and the south into more neighborly relations to advocate and by example push a poli- cy of road education;" to arouse interest in the city and country to particularly show the coming generations the value or roads as monuments;" to keep away from politics and sectionaism, and in the plan of building from county to eoun- ty, state to state. We are. in perfect ac- cord with the ideas of the director of public roads, who says that it is not only my hope, but belief, that every state will eventually adopt a system the most important essential of which will be the trunk line road supplemented by inter communicating roads, in which a grad rated system of state control will be ex- ercised and which will receive state aid according to their importance.
 The Jackson highway is the trunk line road through the states from Chicago to Mobile and on to New Orleans.
 And your committee in its earnest ef. forts in behalf of the Jackson highway. should not forget that it is equally pladg- ed to work to get the convicts out of the mines and placed on the public roads in Alabama. The chairman will quote from data sent to her by the director of public roads on this subject:
 ''The practice of leasing the con gicts to contractors for specified sums mas been denounced as being open to the worst abuses, because under it the state has no care of the convicts and shirks the responsibility, leaving the temptation to excessive gain on the part of the con- tractor unchecked The system, however, affords the greatest revenue to the state of any yet tried. This practice was more general in the south, just after the Civil War, owing to the immense increase in the negro criminal element and the lack of prisons in which to confine them. It is gratifying to note. however, that it is rapidly being abolished"
 And your committee wishes to go on record as favoring bond issues for road
 improvement.
 As to the finances of your committee, the chairman has had exclusive control and has often thought of the words Gen eral Jackson put in letter to Governor Blount in 1874 during his campaigning in Alabama. Speaking of the many diffic'll- ties with which he had to contend, he observed: Indeed sir, we have oeen wretchedly supplied. Scarcely two ra- tions in succession have been regularly drawn; yet we are not Respondent. While We can procure an ear of corn apiece, or anything that will answer as a sub stitute for it, we shall continue our ex- ertions to accomplish the object for which we were sent"
 Five dollars was placed to the credit of the chairman, drawn out of the state treasury-this to build the Jackson hign- way from the lakes to the gulf
 Many letters have been sent out, many letters received, entailing much work The trip to Jenlison, which Miss Kelly your president, and the chairman made was at the personal expense of the presi- dent. Both felt that the sentiment for the Jackson highway was strengthened by meeting with the committee and ex- plaining the work of the Daughters of 1872. Your president has given much or her time and office space in aid of the committees work The chairman several times went "foraging" for money to buy postage had to be had So she made a personal appeal MT. J. R. Copeland was the first to contribute to the Jackson campaign fund. therefore the first to con- tribute to the monument to Andrew Jack son. He gave $5. MT. Robert Jemison Jr., gave S5; MT. R. Douglas s5, MT. Hoag, s: MT. M. D. Tynes, $2,50; MT. Allie Nel- son S1, MT. Solie Lowenhal S1, Steel Smith Dry Goods company g. These contributions enabled your committee to keep the work going.
 The concert given by Nappi's band after all expenses were paid. netted $50. which has enabled the chairman to pay back the $5 into the state treasury, re- deem all pledges and cancel all obliga- tions and leave balance of S15 with sS due for tickets.
 We wish to extend our appreciation and thanks to MT. l.. NJ. Friedman, president oi the Birmingham Musicians associa- | tion; Miss Irene Jenkins of Bessemer, and 1 MT. West, who gave their service free | and did much to make the concert a sue | cess.
 | Quite number of programmes for the concert were left, and as they were bea1- tl1ully gotten up, with the pictures Of "Oid Hickory" and 'The Hermitage" on the front page, the chairman is going to l mail them out as souvenirs and ask at least $1 df the dollar is not forthcoming it may do good in keeping before the pub lie the issue).
 Some Prominent Members Some of the most prominent men and women in the country are members of the eommitte at large, and in their re- l plies of acceptance many of them spoke | graciously of the ambitions and laudable work of the Alabama Daughters of 1872 | as work worthy of consideration of | every patriotic man and woman. The
 committee at large is composed of Hon.