French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-04-13
PRESTON +. PATTON answers
CRITICISM Of ROAD BOND ISSUE
\ Review of Expenditure of Bond Money---CalIs s. HID.
gins to Task for Recent Letters in
Asheville Citizen,

OF public funds in Henderson County;
$4,000 of this l was asked by the
County Commissioners, Jno. T. Station,
). A. Maxwell and Wade Whitesides,
three men whom l am sure you will
not attempt to criticise to handle
$4,000 of this was handled for the
Hen~dersonville township commission
eTs, who are>B. Jackson, R H. Station
E. w. Ewhank, V. C. V. Shepherd AMI
myself.
This money was handled by me not as
| saw fit but with the aid and
tor of these men AS to how this mon
ey was spent. the people of Henderson
County thru their travel and thru
articles Which have recently been pub
llshed are familiar. If you will take
the trouble to compare Henderson
County roads with those of Polk, who
recently spent $4,000, Rutherford,
who spent $3.50, 900, Madison who is
now spending $3.50, 900, with Buncombe
VINO has spent from SIS 900 to 500, 900
for the last ten years / think you will
be convinced yourself as to whether
Henderson COunty's $3.50 has been
wasted, as you have publicly asserted
over your name in a newspaper article.
Since you have informed the public
of your travels in every State south Of
the Mason and Dixon line, l will be
glad if you will tell them if you have
ever found any county in all OF your
travels which has as lea a completes
system of roads as Henderson County
regardless of the amount of money
that mas been spent. My own travels
haVn mt hnnn &c ~OYfnn Ciuo oC UNI1rC.
however, l was sent by the Greenville
Highway Commission, a few months
ago, on an inspection trip over nine
different states thru the Middle West
and l am frank. to admit that | did not
see a county that would compare in it's
general road improvements, taking all
the roads in the county into conSidera-
tiCn, with Henderson.
l will say in reply to your question
as to how many roads were built with
the H~endersOnville township $50, 900,
that almost every road, including by
roads and cross roads in Henderson
vile township were graded and a
great many of them sanded. l ask you
honestly, Mr.. Hudgins, if you do not
consider yourself unfair when you ask
where the petition asking for the
0U,UU issue OF DOuuS can De IOuuu.
You know that these papers are kept
by the board of county commissioners
and if you will ask their clerk, Mr.. A.
O. Jones, l feel sure he a give you
this information. With the assistance
OF Mr.. F. S.. Wetmur and Mr. J. P.
Fletcher, l wrote the road law under
which these bonds were sold; | had
nothing to do with the petition,-not
even as much as you, since o say
that you signed it You are equally as
unfair when you say that I would have
been for the 100000 bond issue had 1
been one of the mes to spend it. I
can say in reply to this that I was
asked to sign it and was asked to be a
member of the commission, which l
refused. 1 also refused and did not
sign the petition for the former issue
of $1,000. Is this proof enough to
satisfy your curiosity. If you signed
the petition with the understanding
that this money was to be used for har0
s~urfacing roads already graded, !! must
say you are rather careless in attach
ing your signature to papers without