The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-07-19
G0WAN EXPLAINS THE
DELAY IN BRISTOL
T0MEMPH|SH HIGHWAY
SAYS THE PEANUT POLITICIANS
HAVE BEEN THE PRIME REA.
SON FOR FAILURE.
The BUTTON SALE RECEIPTS
The Amount Received From This
Sale Amounted to More Than Two
Thousand Dollars, and How This
Money Has Been Expended.

Inousanu Dollars, and How This
I Money Has Been Expended.
The delay in the building OF the
! proposed Bristol to Memphis high
way is explained in a letter from
Geo. A. Gowan, the president, which
he has issued under date of July Is.
Mr. Gowan rather puts it on the
politicians of the state and charges
the delay to them in toto, with the
possible exception that he offers a
criticism on the state for not pro-
viding an official survey. This how
ever, falls indirectly on the roliti-
clans in the legislature.
Mr.. Gowan's letter follows
To the citizens Of Tennessee:
After all the proposed highway
from Bristol to Memphis is being
built. in many of the counties where
new road had to DO constructed.
East OF. Nashville the road will prac-
tisally be finished this year, posi-
! bly, with the exception of two coun-
ties. West Of Nashville there is
some work being done but the citi-
zens along the route selected have
not come up to the promises that
were made to secure the Official
route. The continuous quiet, hard
work that some men have done to
lush the good roads movement to the
front all over the state is having its
effect. So far as the writer is con-
Cerned, he is satisfied. While we
could have done more with the COOP
Grafton Of all, yet we are getting
good results in many places.
The cheap peanut politician who
thought the movement would help
Ben Hooper has fought us under COW
er at every corner and the one.sided
imbecile who hates Ham Patterson
knitted the movement when he cbuld,
because both Of these kind thought
the road question should be q par
tisan political move and that good
roads Of course is for the benefit Of
lone party only. Poor fool.
| II the legislature would have pro-
vided for an Official state survey as
requested, much of the highway
would have now been completed.
Thousands Of men would have put in
two to five days work on the road as
PROMISED, which would have done q
whole lot toward building the road.
Finally to get correct survey. we
lad to put on button sale. Then
the peanut politician guy got real
busy. He not only refused to help,
hut quietly fought it. OF. course he
refused to buy button. The result
finally up to date is that with the ex-
oeption of few counties and short
distances in others a first class sur
vey is complete.
It has been done at a minimum
cost. The result of the button sale
for the whole state follows
Amount received from the sale of
buttons, s2,333.00.
The majority Of the buttons (C5%)
were sold east of Nashville, there
fore, according to agreement, the
funds have been divided accordingly.
None of this money has been used to
pay salaries because none of us are
drawing any salary, except the score
tary and his salary was discontinued
last September. It has been used to
pay absolute expenses Of promoting
the work Of the commissioners and
the engineers. Therefore division
up to date stands as follows:
Paid to Geo. W. Cline, treasurer Of
eastern commissions $975.00.
Paid to j. B. Walker, treasurer Of
western commissions $635.00.
Paid for promotion and general ex-
renses OF the association and some
expenses Of the commission for the
last ten months $635.00.
There are few parties that have
MT yaf uado cotffovnart %, h,,..a /
AS soon as / can get settlement from
them, ! will make division of the
money they send in. We are under
obligations to the federal govern
ment for the assistance they have
given us in furnishing engineers for
this work east Of Nashville.
Respectfully,
nEnn1r