The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-02-06
SYSTEMATIC PLAN
TO Be ADOPTED IN
ROAD CAMPAIGN
r. A. WILKES GIVES INTERVIEW
ON RECENT MEETING OF
HIGHWAY COMMISSION.
POLITICS TO Be DEBARRED
Comprehensive, Progressive Law to
Be Drafted and Presented by Com
mittee to the Next Legislature for
Passage.

Tennessee is on the way to better
things in road matters. The highway
commission of thirty men, who met
in Nashville last week, took active,
forward steps that will tend to bring
order out of chaos that has existed In
road matters in this state during the
past few years." This was the sub
stance of a statement made by R. A.
Wilkes, Of Culleoka, who was in Co
lumbia Monday, and who is a member
Of the thirty good roads enthusiasts
who met in the City of Opportunity
to confer on better highways.
Heretofore there have been spas
modic efforts at various times in GER
tain counties of this state to build
better roads. There has, however,
been no concerted, systematic effort
to define, and follow any fixed policy
in the construction of public roads.
At the meeting of the highway COM
mission, one man was appointed to
write the superintendent of roads In
: each state in the union and get the
plan under which that state conducts
and builds it's roads, and the laws that
have been enacted to promote them.
When all this data has been collected
and arranged in systematic way,
the committee from this state will
meet and carefully 60 through 1t to
select and appropriate for its own use
that which seems best and most
available for use in Tennessee"
1.-THE commission Is to be entirely
free and devoid of all politics. In the
assembly, which was made up Of gen.
tlemen from every section of the
state, there were men of every shade
of political faith and belief, and all
were unanimous in the expression OF
the opinion that politics should be alb
solutely debarred from the delibera-
lions of the meeting of the commit
tee. They took the position that
good roads were not a political sub
ject, and pledged their efforts to de-
bar them from all political wrangles.
They went further and stated that
they would use their best efforts to
have inserted in the platforms OF
their respective parties plank upon
the subject of good roads. Hereto
fore the subject has been subordinat-
ed to many other things that were
much less important and 1t has not
gained the attention and considera-
ton that its merits deserve. 1t would
have gained more had it not been for
the political turmoil and confusion
that has prevailed in the state for the
: past few years"
when the commission has sifted
all the suggestions of the various
states, then the most available will
be chosen and framed in law that
will be presented to the next legisla-
lOI pdood5C. hCiO "hA w ~"
+ solutely no favoritism and politics in
. it. It will be designed with the pur-
pose of providing a fixed highway
commission that will with the aid OF
an able road engineer, pursue an ad-
o vanced, progressive course in the bet
l. terment and construction Of the pub.
I lie roads of the state. / believe that
Il it will be the greatest forward step
that will be taken in years, for 1t will
3 inaugurate a systematic, fixed policy
Ii that will be Of Incompatible benefit
q to the great mass Of the people"
Il so great was the interest and the
IL enthusiasm manifested that several
3 bankers in the assembly wanted tt
> raise $4,000 to advertise and spread
l. abroad literature and information
IL upon the subject However, nothing
g. definite was done along this line.
believe that with the proper presenta
ton of the subject to the newspapers
of the state, they will lend us un
grudgingly their columns and theil