Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-03-23
GOOD ROADS
A LIVE ISSUE.
A Plain and Unbiased Statement of The
Two Plans Now Before the People Of
TdzeweII County for Settlement.

should be settled on a strictly Business
basis. Unfortunately, there has been
an effort to inject politics partisan
nature-and personal feeling into the
discussion of this question in Taz swell
until there is danger that the main is
sue may be obscured. and. for this rea-
son, we shall endeavor to place the mat
ter before the readers of the Republi-
can, stripped of all extrsneous matter,
and boiled down to it's elementary prin-
ciples. The following facts may be
taken as automatic:
That better roads are badly needed
in Tazewell county.
That everybody wants better roads.
That improving the present roads will
cost money.
That the cost of construction will be
the same under either the bond or pay
plan; it being absurd to say that the
method of raising the money by the
sale of bonds to pay for the improve
ments will affect the construction
cost. Men, material and tools will cost
the same under either plan, and the ex-
perienced foremen contractors will have
to superintend their work, will offset
the contractor profit.
That the roads will be built as honest
ly and economically under one plan as
the other. The same public officers,
our own fellow citizens, will have the
ultimate supervision and acceptance of
the work, and if we elect good men to
office there will be no difference in the
honesty of the work, irrespective of
the plan under which built.
Admitting these self evident truths,
the question then becomes simple one.
Will it pay to build better roads? In
other words, is the improvement a good
investment?
Some seven years ago when the
United States Coal and Coke Company
were first beginning to make coke on
Tug River, they sent some of the vet
eran coke men from Pennsylvania to
give the men in the Tug field the benefit
of their experience. One of the men
from Pittsburg in going over one of the
plants noticed, on account of the mar
row yard, good deal of coke dropping
onto the railroad track. Calling the
superintendent, he suggested that
enough day men be placed to pile the
larger Jumps so as to prevent the coke
falling. The superintendent demurre6,
having in mind the increase in the cost
of pulling coke" and that under the
usual plan this cost would be under the
head of an extraordinary charge. "clean-
ing yard" and require no explanation
to the general offices. With the tact
that characterized the "black haired,
bright eyed boys" that made Carnegie
rich, the man from Pittsburg had the
superintendent figure just what it would
cost each way, and by the superinten-
dents figures it would cost them twice
as much to gather the fallen coke as to
keep it from falling. Don't you see,"
said the Pittsburg man, ''it pays to
spend one dollar to save two" And in
this is the secret of the immense wealth
and profits of the United States Steel
Corporation. Their managers are not
afraid to spend one dollar to save two.
The Republican has published for the
benefit of its readers the statistics gath
cred by the Bureau of Roads, Depart
ment of Agriculture, at Washington, d.
c., which show that the Indifferent
roads of the United States cost the peo-
pie about four times as much as do good
1f
aged corporations in the world can make
their money by spending one dollar to
save two, why should the people of
Tazewell hesitate to spend one dollar to
save four, and do it quickly.
Now comes the question that is the
crux of the situation: "Will it pay to
borrow the money!" So many differ
sets of figures have been given as to
whether it will cost more to borrow
than pay as we go, that we are chary
of using any of them, but, in a general
way, it looks like but little difference in
the ultimate cost, whether we put up
the money and lose the interest or bor-
row it from those whose business it is
to lend and pay them the interest. In
either case, we are out the amount of
the interest and the ultimate cost to
the tax payers will be the same This,
then, brings the whole question back to
whether we will spend one dollar to
save four.
The eyes of all the State are upon
Tazewell and, rightly or wrongly, to
vote against the bond issue will be ta-
ken to mean that this county is not
progressive. Let, therefore, each voter
consider the facts set forth and ask
himself the following questions, consid-
ering that the cost will be practically
the same either way:
Is getting good roads quickly the best
thing for me?
Is it best for my neighbor?
Is it best for the county as a whole
Let every voter then ask himself
these questions and vote as his judg-