The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-14

state government expense in 1877, when the county of Jefferson. Including her entire assessment was only s1,50o,00o. The Alabama Good Roads association, in 1910. In Birmingham, at its annual meeting in my annual report, l sug- gested that the people should be edu- cated to the economic value of having the state to finance bond issue 70 build roads with comprehensive sys- tenn of roads constructed under state supervision by economical business methods with provision for maintaining roads under state supervision, that this issue be authorized and that they be expended under the direction and su- pervision of the state highway depart ment, which department has one or the most competent road engineers in Mir w s. Keller, in the United states, and that $2,0O0 GOO of these bonds be sold. then in 25 years when the entire
 bond issues have been expended, the state of Alabama would have one of
 the best systems of highways in the
 United States.
 In 1911 at Selma, in my annual ad- dress, the Alabama Good Roads asso- citation assembled, and by unanimous vote indorsed the proposition of the
 $50 900 900 bond issue and at that
 meeting there were some of the most
 representative and largest taxpayers
 In the state. At the convention Of 1912,
 held in your city on the sth. sth ana 10th, and at the meeting on the 9th the
 $50 100000 bond issue was indorsed by unanimous vote, and at the conven-
 tion in Birmingham some of the largest taxpayers who participated In the dis- cussion of the convention were aaNo- cates of the $50,000.000 bond issue, and they agreed that 1t is cheaper to DOT
 row money and pay per cent with the state to finance good roads than to be
 paying invisible mud tax which costs every child, woman and man in Ala
 bama $225 per capita
 The bond issue, under the terms as proposed by the Alabama Good Roads association, with the present assessed values of the state and with the in-. creasfng resources and value of the state 21s mills will pay the interest and create sinking funds to wipe out the Indebtedness in 50 years. The people
 of Alabama use the dirt roads 100 times
 to where they use the railroad once. The railroads of Alabama have ob-| tained charters and franchises from the people of the state and then capi- talize that and issue bonds to build these roads. There is a greater reason why the people should capitalize their own property the common dirt road and
 
 save the enormous mud tax of $6.500,- coo year is the cost between trans porting the farm products over the dirt roads of Alabama and the merchandise back to the farm. factories and store houses when the state has good roads. | If the roads were improved under the bond issue the system of good roads. the 24,000.000 acres of farm lands in Alabama would be increased s10 per
 acre and would add to the wealth of Alabama s240,000. GOO. And the schools would be advanced social and religious conditions. and increased farm prod
 ucts. Seventy five per cent of the
 wealth of Alabama comes from the farms. and as Birmingham is the largest city in Alaba ma. she would re- ceive in proportion this increased
 wealth and commerce. when the s5o.- 100000 have been exepnded for good roads.
 My home town is Mobile, and all my property Is city property. have given the subject of bad roads and good roads considerable study from the dollars and cents standpoint since 1884. when I as a merchant in Mobile was convert ed by the benefit of paved streets, and the money I expended then and since was the best investment I ever made. My tax would be $125 q year toward bond issue with my personal holdings Therefore I am advocating this invest n,ent from the standpoint of a taxpayer and would benefit me as a citiezn Of Mobile by building up good country roads.
 Napoleon in his wonderful achieve mcnts. the greatest monument he left
 was when he issued s.ooO.ooo,ooo francs