The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1913-05-02
Mr.. HARDEMAN WRITES
AGAIN ON GOOO ROADS


My letters on roads and commits.
sion form of government seems tt
have hit the spot. l believe 80 pei
cent of the people of the dear ole
county agree with me. ! have beer
20 busy since your paper came out
Fast week receiving congratulation!
IN person, by mail and over phone
eoth day and night that hardly hat
zine to wait on my trade. have put
the facts so plain that the people
see the mistake we have made wher
rhe commission form of government
was put on US and now they are
ready to unload and get out from
under it. They are UNANIMOUS In
their demands and we will have g
petition so strong to present to oul
representatives that they cannot af-
ford to ignore. They are our repre-.
sentatives and should by all means
give us an opportunity to vote on
form of government for four years
and we see it will not do and does
not suit us and we want to get rid of
1t. Every body interested ought to
speak to Mr. Cheney and Mr.. Moss
and tell them we are looking to them
for relief Show them that public
sentiment is so strong in favor of a
change and they cannot afford not
to stand by the masses in their de-
mand. | want to give the public
some figures on the commissioners
report to the grand jury on eXpen-
ses for roads. They report from LIST
Tuesday in November 1912 to LIST
Tuesday March 1913, four months
S28,250, now this is the cost to Cobb
county to work 20 convicts. You
divide this amount by four and you
get the amount for each month which
is 7,062.50. You divide this by 26
working days and you have $271.63
per day. You divide that by 10, thrt
is the number of convicts working
and you have $3.S8 per day for each
convict. Those figures are astonish-
ing but they are true, taken from the
commissioners report to the grand
Jury. Don't that look like pretty
high wages for you to pay for labor ?
OH" they say. 1--WE built a bridge
at Powder Springs" That's all
right, we will be reasonable and fair,
that is small bridge, we will say the
material cost $4,000, that will be a
big price for that size bridge. You
still have $24,250 spent for road
work for four months. Figure that
the same way as above and you have
1888 per day for each convict and
this calculation includes every work
ing day rain or no rain and we all
know they do not put in full time
This is extravaganza in it's worst
form. Who is paying for itq The
taxpayers. Who is in favor of this
form of government Those that
get the money. Who opposed it ?
Those who foot the bills and then
tell me we cant get from udner this
yoke. The people ought to hold in
dignatiOn meetings and condemn
such extravaganza. Please tell me
what use we have for 81 bosses,
drivers and guards for 20 convicts.
Tell us the sense in digging down a
few hills when the roads all over the
county are almost impossible. Ev-
cry body would like to see the holes
in the roads filled up. Mr.. Nichols,
OF lost Mountain told me there was
bad place near SOrrel's church 1t
was so bad several wagons turned
oTer and he went to the commission
er and told him about it and offered
to fix it for five dollars and he prom
ised him the job but instead of let
ting him do the work he says they
sent Is convicts. two mule wagons
guards, and drivers over there
and they spent all day and left the
job unfinished | mention this to
show you how economical the com
missioners are One of the old guards
told me he had been sent a number
Of times with two mules and wagon
and driver and two convicts five miles
to put in one or two planks in g
bridge and stay all day That's e.
economy over the left mention
those things to show how our ta2
money is wasted and why the coun
ty is in debt $4,000 March 1st anC
will have to run on borrowed money
the rest of the year and pay PEE
cent interest AID the county will b,
in debt about $4,000 on Nov list
Now there is d better way and W,
ought to go back to it, put tn,
roads under the ordinary.s contro
and let him hire free labor and ge
something done Mr.. H. Ridgewa,
tells me he worked all the section o
roads west Of Marietta and Acwortl
nrInr Tndna A x,tkray vr;th froo 10