The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1912-10-04

or 80 convicts are not enough to DO
this. the law should be changed so
as to allow our county commissioners
to hire as much as so more convicts
from other counties and put our
forces UP to something like 125 men.
! AS understand the matter, we
could work 125 men with the same
running fixed expenses that we now
have while working only rs men. II
am told that the convict labor, taking
everything into consideration, costs
us about 81 cents per day, and say
that if We had lbs convicts we could
reduce this cost to something like 40
cents per day. gesr..
With all OF these things embodied
in bill and laid before the people
properly, SO that they may know
what is going to be done with their
money If the bonds are issued, and
who is to handle it and how much of
it each part of the county is to get,
my opinion is that they will vote for
it and carry it by safe margin.
It would be unfair for us to vote a
bond issued in Cobb county and put
it into the hands of some one and
give them the right, il they chose to
do so, to spend all of this money on
any one road, or any two or three
roads.
II the bonds are issued, think the
bill ought to make such provision
that it will insure every part of Cobb
county having the same treatment,
and if the bond issue could not put
the main roads on a better grade
than the Marietta and Powder Springs
road, or the Atlanta road Cor any of
the other roads that have been graded)
then these roads that have already
had their grading should not have
any part of the bond issue, but if
there was a sufficient amount of mon
ey to grade the other roads, and then
improve the grade of these other
roads which have already been graded,
then l say they would naturally be en-
titled to a small percentage of the
money, SO as to make them equal in
grade.
l know that some man living on a
cross road will answer this article,
and say that he is opposed to bond
issue, because it would not provide
for grading and finishing these cross
roads, and in advance 1 wish to tell
him that it would be impossible for
the people of Cobb county to issue a
sufficient amound of bonds to grade
and finish all of the roads. So if he
lives on cross road he will have to
be contented with an ungraded road,
for while at least, until the commits
sioners can do the work for him.
If he would vote for a bond issue to
grade all of the trunk roads, be would
certainly have big advantage over
what he has now, for he could use the
trunk road after he got to it, and if
it was necessary he could double on
his load to the main road, and then
come on to town with full load.
My opinion is that if we come to the
assistance of the county commission
J by issuing bonds to grade these main
roads, that they will then have time
to work out the cross roads and keep
them in good condition, so that every
body will be benented and better sat
isfed.
l know that / am going to be criti-
cised, and naturally expect 1t, but
see the necessity of good roads so
much that l am willing to risk the
criticism in order to get the discus
sion started. My purpose is only to
get this matter discussed, SO that we
may all perhaps come together on
some definite plan whereby the desired
results may be brought about No
one should kick, however, for after
all of the plans are perfected, he will
certainly have the right to vote upon
it, before any bonds could be issued,
and he will know exactly what he is
voting upon, and if it does not suit
him, he ought to vote against 1t.
l for one would not fore for bond
issue unless we did have some definite
plan so that might know who is
going to handle my money, and al
least part of the way they are going
to handle it. 1t ought to be fair and
square, the people of the whole county
ought to get share of it, and in that
way we will all be benefited.
| have asked our county papers to
give this article publication, and have
also asked them to give space to any
one else who wishes to criticise it, OIL
commend 1t, and no one will hurt my
feelings in a personal way, no matter
what he writes. l am just giving you
my individual ideas as a tax payer
and l beg to assure you that what ]
have written has been with an eye
single to the best interest of the agri
cultural classes, as we'll as all other
interests of our county