The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-03-16
wORKHOUsE SYSTEM

Editor
have tried to keep out of the dis
cussions regarding our present work
house method, but on account of so
many Misrepresentation l am COM
PEELED to speak in behalf of the peo-
pie.
The workhouse method is a very
slow and cumbersome plan of build
ing roads. 1t is not only slow, but
wasteful and extravagant under the
very best management. Our present
workhouse plans offer no definite
system of roads but it is entirely de-
cided by the faction that has the
biggest pull with the commissioners
and the county court.
The present workhouse spends
about as much time in moving as
they put on the road, but please re-
member that the bosses are drawing
their fat salaries just the same. Not
long ago they moved from Limestone
to Princeton and graded about one
| half mile, thence back to Limestone
and graded mile, thence back to
South Watauga and graded about two
and one-half miles but left before the
work was half finished, then moved
to Cherokee. II would call that NOV
ing some" but Mr.. Taxpayer, you
must pay the bill. Why so much
moving unless they want to catch a
few voters for the workhouse. Just
as long as we have the present sys-
TEN, so long will we have the moving
from place to place.
The workhouse should have ex-
pert road builders, but when and
where did the present management
ever receive any training?
The first roads built by the present
method will wear out long before the
last ones are finished and the second
condition will be worse than the first
How long will it take seventeen pris-
oners to build the roads in repair.
believe in working the prisoners on
The roads and there will be more than
they can do to keep them in repair
They are telling you that if you vote
against the present workhouse levy
these fellows will be put back in Jail
to eat and grow fat; but it is not true
for they have been and can be worked
without this levy.
Even if you are opposed to bonds
it would be better policy to con-
tract the work to the lowest and best
bidder. Suppose, we had $4,000 to
spend on our roads each year. let the
contract to the lowest and best bid.
der and give him to understand that
/ if he does good work, that next year
he will stand good chance to get
the contract, and so on just as long
as he does good, honest work. 1t is
a recognized fact that contractor
will get twice as much work out of a
set of men as we are under the pres
ent system. If contractor wastes
or throws anything away, it is his
loss and not the county's. What do
bosses care about expenses as long
as the county, state or national gov
eminent pays the bill? Bosses gen.
orally want the job to last as long as
possible.
All improvements should come back
| to the people in proportion to the
amount Of taxes paid. This is never
quite true because of the principle,
that the strong should help the weak.
Do the people in our county get inn
proyements due them? No, q thous-
and times no.
/ do not like to speak of these
| things, but l did not bring them
about. They have been brought about
by few schemers of Jenesboro and
the county court. The tax of 1915
not including the railroads, tele
phones, etc, of the county, is $780,
140.2S, but the Sth, 9th, 10th and 18th
districts pay $52,719.S0, or the 9th,
10th, 18th and 18th districts pay $751;
1894. The 9th district alone pays
$41, 61S.O7 or over 40 per cent of the
entire tax of the county. The popu-
lation OF the county in 1910 was 49,
96S. The Sth, 9th, 10th and 18th dis
tricts had 1886. The 9th, 10th, 18th
and 18th districts 15,042. In either
of the above groups you find over
one half of the population or over
one-half of the wealth of the entire
county.
Where you find the most wealth and
the greatest population, the people
have in reality no representative on
the workhouse commission.
The county court recently run an
imaginary line from near Douglas
Shed, passing near Jonesboro to
Cherokee, and selected a commits
sioner just on our side of the line to
represent us on the workhouse COM
mission, but move the short one a
short distance our way and we would
have no one to represent us, still we
would have over one-half of the
wealth an dover one-half of the pop
ulation.