The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-05-21

Continued from First Page.)
er residence in West Florida and said
that he believed the building of good
roads had done more for this section
or the state than anything else in the
world. He closed by saying that the
scouts had found the clay and sand
in good proportion between here and
Milton and that he believed the prop
er road could be built at a cost of not
more than $500 per mile.
IN JACKSON COUNTY.
Hays Lewis, of Jackson county, was
the next speaker. He began by tell
ing Of the vast amount of enthusiasm
which was manifest in his county over
this proposition and said that he
hoped to see this made the official
highway. He argued strongly in ia
vor of good roads and told how the
building OF good roads would serve to
keep the young men on the farms and
thus improve the communities. He
said that to Pensacola this was a sub
Ject OF vital importance and that this
city simply must build this highway
in order to attract tourists from the
north, who otherwise would pass to
the north Of this city and would never
know what Pensacola had to offer.
The speaker declared that he had seen
men along the route of the scout car
who had guaranteed that the money to
build their share of the road would
be forthcoming, even in the event that
the county commissioners of their
counties will not pledge the amount
necessary. Good roads are an in
dex to civilization" concluded the
speaker, and we must have them"
MR.. LAYTON SPEAKS.
H. B. Layton, of Triton, and secre-
tary of the Chamber of Commerce of
that city, was the next to address the
meeting. He began by stating that
the enthusiasm manifested throughout
Florida on the question of good roads
was very gratifying, indeed, to him,
but said that he would take the lib
erty Of criticising, and stated that
there was very small proportion Of
the roads in Florida which would COM
pare with those of Georgia, and pro-
ceeded in a very good-natured way to
point out some of the defects, doing so
in such a manner that if his sugges-
tons are followed, the sections of the
state following his suggestions will be
benefited. He told of how H. H. Tiff
of his county. and one of the wealth
lest and most influential citizens of
his state, had instigated this good
roads movement and how much bene-
fit to his own and neighboring coun-
ties, reminding the men of this county
that they could do likewise If so in
lent to another railroad and will bring
| one before long" said Mr.. Layton.
The speaker stated that the good
roads movement would bring $4,000
people to Georgia this winter and that
the cost of building the roads was
nothing compared to the benefits
acruing from them. II never saw a
roads than Pensacola" continued tire
speaker. He ended by prophesying an
unprecedented era of prosperity fol-
lowing the building of the proposed
highway.
c. A. Dexter, Of DexIand. made a
| few remarks and suggested a plan
which would enable the building of
the highway without going itno Ala
bama with it.
DR.. Louis DEM. Blocker next adj
! dressed the meeting, stating in the
| outset that there were on such things
as worn out sections Of the country
and worn out farm lands and that the
poper way to begin building them up
was through the creating of good
roads. We have plenty of good lands,
he said, and we want people to cult
vate them and the only way to get
them is to construct good roads lead
ing to them. The doctor told Of his
experiences in former years on the
Myrtle Grove road in this county and
of the condition of the people living
in that vicinity before the road was
improved and showed by a COMPARE
son with present conditions the re-
markable effect Of good roads. Good
roads make good counties; good side
walks make good cities" said DR..
Blocker in closing.
At this point Hon. ]. z. Stillman
stated that he had no hesitancy in
stating that Pensacola and Escam-
bia county would do their part and
asked Mr.. Aycock to state exactly
what steps were necessary in order 10
assure the highway.
Mr. Aycock stated that the thing
they wanted was the endorsement of
the board of county commissioners
struct the road over the route laid
out by the committee, the road to be
80 feet wide and to built of clay and
sand. He said that in case the coun-
ty commissioners would not make the
pledge, the pledge of any individual
or individuals financially able to do so
would be ACCEPTABLE.
T. A. Jennings stated that he was
heartily in favor of the project and
dwelt upon the picturesqueness of the
proposed route, but thought IL a lit
tie premature to make pledges without
knowing what the route was to be.
Hays Lewis suggested that a con-
ventton Of the county commissioners
of the counties involved be held at
DeFuniak for the purpose Of max
ing an agreement upon which the
scouts could act.
1t was at this point that the resolu-
ton was offered by Mr. Watson and