The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-02-26

I ed in the midst of a great agricultu
raj section. Our board cannot hope
to have manufactures like some o
the larger cities of the state. My
friends, we are all the better for this
We are helping to feed the people O
this nation and of the whole world
| But conditions are not ideal. Tt
bring about the results that we ough
to accomplish in this great county, t.
realize to the fullest its resources, We
must have better roads. | am sorry
that we haven't the roads that We
ought to have. Our citizenship de
serves the best roads in the state Il
we would restore vitality to the coun
try districts, save and promote the
rural life of our people. decrease illit
eracy, double the production Of oul
farms, diversity our natural resourc
es, then we must build good roads
But to have good roads, we must have
the money to build them with. / am
going to ask Col. Brownlow, who is
a banker, to tell you how we can get
this money.
Col. j. r. erownIow.
In the course of his remarks CO.!
Brownlow said: Gentlemen, we
have been talking about good roads
in this county for the past twenty
years. And yet we haven't done a
thing yet about getting them. l have
read the biography of the father of
our country recently in order to find
some method to build these roads
without money, but haven't been
successful II it takes money to build
them, how are we going to get it?
"The assessed valuation Of farms
and other property Of this county is
$12,600,000. The taxes collected annu-
ally amount to about $4,000. II this
property were fully and properly as
sessed, its value would be $40, 900, 900.
We are now spending on roads in this
county $4,000. of this $4,000 of
taxes. But we are not getting the
proper results. am In favor OF bond
ing this enormously wealthy county
in the sum of $400, zoe to build these
roads. | know that 1t would provoke
a terrible howl, but let US see how
much indebtedness we would incur
This would be ne more than if q man
who owned 8 $4,000 farm were to
go in debt $500. These bonds could
be sold at q premium and would bear
only SO interest. The interest on
them would be only $2e,oe0, the same
amount that we are now squandering
in a feeble effort to build roads, the
same we are now throwing away and
getting nothing for it. would favor
making the bonds mature in thirty
years, so that future generations, who
enjoy these roads, would bear some of
the debt On the other hand, my
friends, / believe that such a system
Of roads as could be built with this
money would increase the value Of
our farms in the county at least 1919.
Lets get to work and do this
thing, let's agitate, educate, and in
struot the people on it, and then let's
ask our representatives in the legis-
lature to have an enabling act passed
so that we can submit the matter of
the issuance of the bonds to the peo-
pie Of the county. l believe that they
would be Overwhelmingly In favor OF
it"
w. 3. Greenlaw.
William B. Greenlaw. the next
speaker spoke in somewhat humor-
GUS vein, thread Of 1t pervading his
remarks. He poohpoohed the idea of
taxes, and got of several witty re-
marks at the expense Of some Of the
large taxpayers present.
James Russell.
James Russell, Of Williamsport, dis
cussed the "The Benefits Of Good
Roads to the Farmers" He said in
part: "The question Of good roads
has confronted men from the time
that history began to be written.
There are four points, however,
which I want to give you why We
farmers want better highways in this
county. First, the farmer, like the
man in town, Is . social being. The
rurA districts have the social In