Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-11-12
The Problem of
Good Roads

The question Of good roads il
one that Is occupying the minds
Of a great many people OF different
states Of the Union, and we'll II
should. For amid all oar progress
and advancement as a nation, we
are centuries behind on good roads,
While the railroads are doing the
long distance transportation, the
road to and from the cities and
towns has been and still is dis.
gracefully neglected. In the first
place our system for keeping up
roads is Anticipated. 1t might
have been all right when our faith
era cut their roads through the
forests and there were more men
than mules. The idea of a law
in tho Goth, century that compels
poor man that does not own a
foot of land nor animal of any
kind to work days five days on the
public highway is an outrage.
Such might have looked reason
able in A ID $50, when Rome bui
her highways across the continent
of Europe. But If it's a real nee
essily that every man should sup
port the highways let him be taxed
one dollar per annum 10 cash. ii
the right kind Of system is estab-
lished there need be no such thing
as a tax; an individual tax is I'M
known in Europe. Tax the man
who uses the highways or rather
tax every horse and mule from one
to two dollars per head, or 1t might
10 D6lbeI w AdA OfOAJ 'SAAS'N -"
that the man who wears the road
most should pay his share IN keep
ing them in repair. For the wagon
that carr 200O lbs. and over 50.
per year, less $3.50. Every two
seated buggy So single buggy
81 90. and especially every auto
mobile, 5 passenger $40, 2 passen
ger So, moter cycle 5Oc. and blcy-
ely 900. Then there should be no
cutting out of taxes at 40 years.
But as long as man has a team
To wear the roads he helps 10 keep
them in repair. Ii system OF
this kind of taxation was intro.
duced in our Legislature and be-
came law, We wyuld TO great
extent solve the problem for the
support OF good roaus. With the
above pan in operation, we would
have no such trouble as our county
had last year and defeat of a
road bond issue for $500. 600, on
the contrary there would be suf-
ficienL coming into The road treas
ury to pay interest and keep rot dis
in repair, and gradually pay of
the road bonds, and then VT
would not hear the cry against buI
dening our children with indeb!'
edness, but some may cry against
such a plan. There should be q
plan devised so that the amount
raised in each district be appro-
priated to the same, this woulC
give much better satisfaction. Oul
present method of road work is q
failure, aud one OF the chief rea
sons is that the work is done by
inexperienced men, that have nj
knowledge Of road work. For in
stance | saw in the great state 0
Iowa. seven miles from the CAPT
toll, half mile OF road where grave
had been dumped U0t in loads ant
left to remain all winter. JUS
south one mile on main roaC
under the supervision of al
other road master there were load
of slack hauled from the mine
and dumped in the center of tn
road and left 90 remain likewise.
Here in Tennessee where a.
kinds OF road material abounds W
fna our road men filling our mu
holes with boulders which woul
be in the right place if broken an
a sufficient amount of finer materil
placed thereon, but this too ofte
is left undOne and these rocks b.
come a target for every wheel
think the time has come when III
government and the state shout
take more interest in good road