The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-15
HUGH 'GEEVERON
ROAD CONTROVERSY
Did Not Vote on Proposal to
Build Road
THE TAX ASSESSMENTS
SAYS Land Not on Road Owned By
Mrs. M'Geever Assessed at $40
Per Acre, While MIR. Mont =
gomer's Assessed at $40

Regarding the controversy about the
Camp Branch and ColumPiana roads,
Hugh McGeever, member of the board Npf
revenue, has issued the follovAas ;9y'- -
To the Editor of the Age-Herald;
A great deal has been said by Mr.. J. F.
Montgomery in his several letters to the
Age Herald referring to my building a
road from the top of Shades mountain
to Camp Branch, SO as to enhance the
value of my land
First / would ask is it a crime Tor
member of the board of revenue TO
own land on Shades mountain?
Second. Should he be the owner of
land on said mountain, Is it a crime for
him to permit q public highway in the
neighborhood of that landf II it is a
crime then [ plead guilty to being the
husband of Mrs. M. A. 7. McGeever, who
owns 30 acres, surface right, bought from
the Alabama Land company at 81 per acre
in the year 1904, and although In viii
derness, without a road. as per Mr..
Montgomery statement, she is assessing
it for the last two years at $40 per
acre.
What is Mr.. Montgomery assessing his
good farm lands at on an old established
road, 'sThe Old Columbiana?" 1 will an
swer for him, s937 and $40 per acre.
Question: Who is paying most for
building roads?
I will further state and prove it by
our engineer, Mr.. Gwin Gin whom the
whole board has implicit confidence in
his ability as an engineer and integrity
as a ctizen) that the survey from Camp
Branch to the top of Shades mountain
was made before the present board came
into office.
The reasons for building and locating
this most important highway, connecting
north Alabama and the Birmingham dis
trict with Shelby county, Montgomery,
the state capital, and all south Alabama,
has already been given by our engineer,
also by Mr.. Bennington in his statement
last week. Which shows that l had no
part in influencing the survey, and 1t
has been stated several times that when
the miners repNt came before the board
for action, I begged to be excused and
left the room, taking no part whatever
in the discussion nor voting on said re-
port.
Mr.. Montgomery need not remind Mr..
Pennington and ] that we are the peo
ple's servants | think that is where
the whole trouble lies. If we could be
swerved from our duty to the pubic
for the personal interests of few who
own land on that old road and build a
road by and through their lands without
regard to grade or distance, they would
hail us "well done good and faithful
servants" and grades, distance and
modern methods of road building can go
"be hanged The tine when we were
elected and the promises we made is not
SO far distant that we have forgotten
them. We promised to build good high
ways, trunk lines of best possible grade
to connect our county with every adj
joining county; we are working toward
that end as fast as we can and the day
is not far distant when you can ride or
drive from Birmingham to the county
line OF every adjoining county over roads
and grades that will be credit to old
jefferson.
A little patience on the part of Mr..
Montgomery and those who are doing
his writing for him, and we willereach
them. We have hardened to their call
before, and will again as the roads adj
joining their property need it.
A word about the county automobiles.
They are the best investment the county
ever made. 1t gives the board an op-
portunity of seeing for themselves pros
pective grades and location of roads,
also the work done by our road forces.
Mr.. Pennington acts as chauffeur. and
a good one at that. He saves the county
over $50 per month. Anything wrong
about that?
HUGH M'GEEVER.