The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-08
CONTINUES FIGHT
REGARDING ROAD
J. S. Montgomery This Time
Calls Names
WANTS AN ANSWER
Suggests Impeachment or Someone
in Authority Making investiga-
tion-Answers Reply Made to
His Former Letter

bers OF the board of revenue IN regard
to the much discussed Shades mountain
road
In the following letter he refers to
members of the board by names, points
out the injustice which he claims is
being done, and demands an answer to
several questions:
Birmingham, Ala, September g. 1918.
To the Editor of the Age-Herald:
l have written two letters asking that
the board of revenue answer certain
questions in regard to the Shades noun
tain road that is being built at great
expense and without reason, unless it be
to develop certain land companies prop
critics and interests of other land owners
or build houses.
The board has not yet answered the
questions. They have apparently ignored
my letters. but some of their friends and
agents selling lots over in this wilder
ness have come running to the defense
of the honorable board
What want and what the whole public
wants-regardless of whether owning any
property in this neighborhood-is for the
board to state exactly how this road
happens to be petitioned for, accepted
viewers appointed and the work begun
on it within such short time, and ae-
cording to my belief in an irregular
manner, while people living along bad
roads have brought in petition after Pc
tition to this honorable board and re-
ceived promise after promise hedged with
the plea that money for road work is
1,fa oC
gets better, we will fix this road
Given Preference
I know that this new road is being
given preference over road work that is
badly needed, and that has been petit
toned for years and years ahead of this
roads petitions And the petitions for
these other roads were signed by people
whose wagons and families used the
roads and whose children have to go
down these bad, muddy roads several
miles to school. On the other hand, this
new road is not needed-serves only two
houses and connects up with the So
called per cent road up Shades noun
tain, which so aptly stated by Mr..
Hail in his defense of the honorable
board" he has travelled more than any
other person in this district. Do you
know why he travels it? To sell lots back
in the woods in Shades mountain How
many houses or homes has he located on
| this read? How many acres or lots of
land has he in cultivation? None.
A few automobiles with sight-seers
and a few lot sellers like Mr.. Hail may
use this 6 per cent road, but the ma
jority of the farmers with their teams
come to Birmingham on the Columbiana
road or the water works road, even
though these roads are neglected by the
board.
The letter of farmer T. ID. Massey in
the Age-Herald defending the board of
revenue and throwing bouquets at the
county engineer sounds as il it was pre-
pared in the county engineers office, for
it bristles with figures that Farmer Mas
sey could hardly obtain elsewhere. AL
though the county engineer nor the
board of revenue could hardly sign the
statements made in this letter, one of
which states that the distance from
Camp Branch to Birmingham by the new
road will be greatly reduced. This is
not true.
The board of revenue has an automo-
bile, the convict superintendent has an
automobile and the road engineer has an
automobile. 1t does seem that with three
automobiles paid for by tax payers for
road work, we could have better roads.
However, Pennington, one of the board
members, acts chauffeur and he and
McGeever stick pretty close together and
when they want certain roads built or
repaired they seem to be able to win
over one of the three other members in
some way or other
McGeever owns some land that will be
greatly benefited by this eight and half
miles of new road. and of course he is
terribly interested in getting this new
road built.
How 1t Happened
While Major Cameron and Ruff Bivens
were sick and absent from the board
McGeever and Pennington changed those
convicts from their work on the old CO.
lumbana road and put them to work
building this Special three and half
mile road through the woods and hills
without the consent of DR.. Lovelady, the
only other member of the board on
duty.
The board and the road engineer have
been foolng the tax payers about that
6 per cent road which they claim this
three and a halI mile special road
will connect with the Columbiana road.
They have named It 'the 6 per cent
road"-whle it is really more than 10
per cent in places.
As to shortening the distance to Bir-
mingham from Camp Branch, this new
road is longer than the old Colnmbiana
road and the road engineers figures will
show this to be true II he has the cor
rect figures.
orl Of do Iar
of the tax payers money each year on
roads and other things and we all know
there is lots of II wasted.
I guess it is hard to elect five men
on the board without getting one or two
politicians on it who have their curb
stone meetings. and put things over on
the other members.
1t strikes me that things have come
to such a pass with this board that the
governor or someone in authority should
conduct an investigation and impeach
any member OF the board misusing his
office i s MONTGOMERY