Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-02-18
Roads for Mountain Counties

lust north of Atlanta there is chain OF
counties-Milton, Forsyth, Dawson, Lumpklu'
Union and Towns-WOnderfully r1cn IN hdLu-
raj treasure and scenic beauty, settled by the
sturdiest of the pure Scotch and Saxon preeu,
but now without railways or other adequate
means of transportation to serve their dally
needs and to link them with the larger lite
of the commonwealth. This lack is mai
ter of regret for Georgia as Whole as wei
as for the communities Immediately con-
cerned. Self-sustaining and independent as
thew are. the people of those counties can
get along contentedly enough with their pres
ent facilities for travel. But can the rest OF
the State afford to have so rare region re-
main comparatively inaccessible? 1t certain
" cannot Give those counties system OF
roads that will invite and sustain motor tra1-
fic. and the resultant developments will come
as lasting benefits from Rabun GAP to Tybee
Light
s'Would not all of Georgia. writes Mr.
B. H. Stone of Blairsvflle in a most interest
ing communication to The Journal, 'be vast
~ benefited by converting this great noun
tain section into the playground of the State,
and, through the connecting roads in adjacent
counties, serving the Rabun Gap, Young Har-
ris Dahlonega and other schools and col
leges with motor truck parcel post route?'
Further,
'Such a route would give the mar
kets of Atlanta and other large cities an
abundant supply of fresh produce; and a
return trip from these mountains via Tai
lulah Falls, Gainesville and Athens would
give weekend vacations far less eXpen-
sive than trjL, TO the Adirondacks-trips
within reach of the moderate salaried
- man as we'll as of the millionaire.
Through Atlanta. Macon and thens, the
remotest part of South Georgia would
be benefited by the construction of such
a highway"
Statewide, intercounty system of high
ways like that for which a bond issue is
being urged would provide at least the main
artery of such lnkage Of roads as our cor
respondent suggests; and the mail artery
once established, it's corollaries would come
almost inevitably. Statewide system of
highway development there must be, if jus
tice is to be done the counties now deficient
n transportation facilities and, because of
their sparse population, deficient in tax
revenues as we'll We do not mean that
there should be indiscriminate apprOpri-
ftions of aid to counties which do nothing to
help themselves; in roadbuilding as in school
aiding and all kindred enterprises, fair
measure of local response and cooperation
rh0uld always be the price of State or Of
Federal aid. But in the matter of highway
construction in scantily developed regions,
where the outlay of funds to begin with is
necessarily large, the State must take the
initiative, IL any progress is 20 be made.
Moreover, investments like this rebound
to the benefit of all sections of the State, for
in the long run road improvements in any
county will inure to the profit of every coun-
ty., Certainly, no county, hoWsOever progress
sive in road construction it may be, can reap
due returns from it's highway expenditures
as long as it's neighbors have poor roads, be-
cause the chief value of a road consists in it's
connections and if those connections are poor
or meager a great part of it's potential value is
lost. Hence the eXpediency and the justice
of a State bond issue for the purpose of estab-
fishing adequate highways throughout
Georgia.
This plan is to the advantage of the most
highly developed districts as we'll as to coun-
ties like Milton, Forsyth Dawson, Union and
Towns, for it will mean that Georgia has
entered upon richer life of Statehood wherein
it's counties all will deal and be dealt with
as members one Of another and as constant
cO-workers for the good and glory of the
Commonwealth