The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-12
DAWSON AND COY.
 BROWN DISAGREE Governor Brown Will Try To Establish Highway
 Commission

Atlanta, June .-(Special.)-WhileG Gov.
 Joseph M. Brown will urgently recom- mend the establishment of a state high
 way commission in his forthcoming mes
 sage to the legislature, Chairman R. E.
 Davison of the state prison commission is doing all within his power to antagonize | the movement.
 | Chairman Davison takes the view that state highway commission would build | automobile roads rather than those roads which would give the farmer the great est practical service. There is known to be a strong senti- ment for such department. and, at the same time it Is not unlikely that the small prejudice still lingering against the automobile in some sections, may bring out some ill-founded and misguided an tagonism
 The latter is we'll represented in the recent statement of Chairman Dayison, who said in part:
 'I am telling the farmers in every section of the state that I go into to look out for this movement and to in- struct their representatives to oppose it. With road building in the hands of the state you will have the biggest row on record in every county in Georgia. The farmer who produces the wealth of the nation will be left out in the cold while the state highway commission builds au- tomobile roads connecting one city with another. The farmers are not going to stand for it. know them. They won't consent to let the state manage their county affairs. Lot the counties alone and we will have good roads all over the state
 Governor Brown takes the view that the felony convicts are the states property to do as she pleases with, and are only | loaned to the counties as a favor. "I believe we should have a state high way commission said Governor Brown land I have said so more than once. IT my opinion the state hould have the con victs wholly under it's own control and employ them in a way best calculated to serve the whole state. There is not one county in ten in the state that is free from petty politics in its road build ing. As between the two extremes would rather see the state dictating arbi- trarily what roads shall be built. rather than see that matter dictated by coteries of selfish men in the various counties The felony convicts belong to the state and the state is under no more obliga- tion to leave them in the hands of the counties than she was to leave them un- der the control of the lcssees. I think the state should not only direct the work ing of the convicts, but should also have direct supervision of the road building they are doing."
 Secretary of State Philip Cook takes a somewhat similar view.
 "The farmers own their own automo- piles these days" he said, and you can't fool them one way or the other. The farmer can figure things out for himself just about as we'll as the next one. He wants good roads and he is going to have them. He also wants those roads built which will do him and his com munity the most good and he wants them built on the most approved and up-to-date methods.
 Now it turns out that the matter has been tried in practically every state ir | the union, and every one of them thai | has gone into the matter has found 2 state highway commission a practica necessity. They all come to it sooner or later. A central road commission means harmony of work, intelligent direc- tion of labor, economy and effectiveness I have studied the subject and I be-
 lieve my opinion Is an impartial one. be- | cause I won't be affected which ever way it is decided"