The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Does Not Concern Politics

Does Not concern POlltlcS
 For that reason it is the duty of our lawmakers to display their states manship and to educate themselves on this great economic question which has no politics in it. People of all parties and all factions may advocate this cause. as it affects every child, woman or man in the state. It goes even fur ther, for as we are the dumb animals keepers, we should give the horse and the mule good roads to travel on. We should not only be doing humane act. but the matter is one of dollars an1 | cents. With better roads the animals would last longer and as they represent a cash value, saving them would be an economic benefit to the farmer.
 'One might say that $50000,000 is great sum for the state to consider ex- pending on good roads. As a taxpayer for 40 years, and a man who has studied the great mud tax which Alabama people have been paying, I advocate it. The amount wasted is greater than all the taxes paid to the state tax collector, the county col lectors, and the city collectors, all put to- gether. It is greater than the combined sum which is used to maintain the state. city and county governments, including the public schools. Yet few people com plain of this enormous indirect mud tax.
 The bond issue can be taken care of without adding to the taxes of the reo- pie by using the convict fund, which amounts to about s7OO,OOO. to pay the in terest on the 40 year bonds, and create a sinking fund.
 Tn my talk today to the farmers and people at Cullman. I pointed out that tl'is is a great question. and that it is my purpose to agitate 1t until the people are educated along this line. This question Is of more importance than any other be- fore the people of Alabama today.
 Praises O'Neal
 'I desire as president of the Alabama Good Roads association, to congratulate the people of Alabama that they have Emmet O'Neal as governor of this state. He appreciated the enormous tax that the people pay to mud every year, and he had the courage and statesmanship to send message to the legislature advocating tho creation of highway commission where by modern and economical methods Of construction of culverts and bridges might be adopted and to ask for state aid in road building. This one act I say, stamps Governor O'Neal as a sagacious statesman. But he realized that good roads would do more for the school chill dren, the church people, and the farmers than any enterprise he could engage in. I think Governor O'Neal has in that one act done more for the people of Alabama than any other governor of the state. With state aid and the national aid that Senators Bankhead and Johnson and Representative Underwood are so- active in working for. Alabama will in a few years be in the lead in good roads.
 The aid of the newspapers in this movement is appreciated. also. want to raise my voice in approval of the Blr- srl,o Ia J eo;.,t T+ t always co-operated with the state good road association. had rather have a good journal behind me, with its white paper and printers ink, and a corps Qf skilled newspaper workers than to have the assistance of all the public men and so called statesmen who have been indif- ferent to the appeals for good roads,.