The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-03-21
WITHOUT DISSENTING VOTE LEG.
:sLAToRs ARE INSTRUCTED
so TO VOTE.
CAMERON ACT GETS NO SUPPORT
Proposition to Spend Three Quarters
OF Million Dollars Of Taxpayers
Money on Forty Miles Of Roads
finds No Supporters.
fridays Daily Herald.)

"hu ioi6Cly dtteHutu mass NEE QSs
ever held in Maury county, the county
court room being packed to overflow
ing and halls being filled with inter
csted citizens, the proposed Cameron
fifty million dollar road bond issue
bill was unanimously condemned. Ev
cry citizen present with two or three
exceptions voted for O resolution Of
fered by ]. |. Finney, editor of The
Herald, condemning the act and in
structing the delegation from this
county to vote against it or any SINH.
lar bill and also opposing any further
increase in the bonded debt of the
state at this time.
Three members of the legislative
investigating committee were present
at the conference this morning. They
were Senator Cameron, chairman, Sen.
ator, Stockard and Representative Ros-
ter. When Chairman Petty. of the
Maury county Good Roads association
called the meeting to order at IL
o'clock the court room was packed. He
introduced Senator Cameron. who
made clear and lucid explanation OF
the bill. The senator stated that it
was proposed under this bill to bond
the state for fifty millions of dollars
and with the proceeds construct about
200 miles of state roads. These, he
said, must be hard surface roads and
it was estimated that they would cost
the state about $4,000 a mile. He
said the roads laid out in the bill were
tentative and subject to change, but
the general plan was there.
Senator Cameron was followed by
Judge Whitthorne who called atten-
tion to the map of the proposed roads.
He said that under this bill there
would be no state highway to Column.
bia from Hickhan, Perry and Lewis
counties by direct route, that other
counties entitled to the benefits OF
the Middle Tennessee Experiment sta.
ton would have no direct route here.
Senator Cameron asked that objec-
tons to the proposed roads be filed
with him
]. l. Finney then followed, with an
argument against the policy of the bill.
He declared that it would be grossly
unfair to the taxpayers and retro
grade act to tax all of Maury county
to build forty miles of boulevards,
that according to the chairman would
cost $4,000 and leave the other $50
miles of. county highways unprovided
for. He said that this was more mon.
ey than had been expended on all OF
the hoads of the county in ten years
including the purchase price of the
He declared that the people who
came from Hampshire and Santa Fe
and Theta and Culleoka and Bigby-
Vile and other sections should re-
neive some benefits from the ten per
rent tax that all must pay. Mr.. Fin
ney said that outside of the few rich
automobile owners who had more leis.
re time than anything else and who
to make long excursions over
the state no one would be benefited
by the highways constructed under
the act except the comparatively few
men who CHANGED to live along the
three roads. He declared also that the
act would destroy the county levy OF
thirty cents per horse power on auto
mobiles intended to be scattered over
the county. The speaker earnestly op-
rosed the issuance of fifty millions of
dollars of bonds at this time with
fourth liberty loan bonds now selling
in the open market at price that will
Weld five per cent tax free from in
come, how do we expect to issue Ten
nessee fifty millions of dollars OF
bonds at five per cent?" asked Mr.
Finney. 1.-THE expenditure of ten mil
lions of dollars of road money In a
single year on few miles of roads.
together with the thousands that must
be expended on other roads, would in
lead to waste and extraya-
gance. That has been shown in the
war just ended where the expenditure
Of vast sums of money led to great
leal of waste. That, however. was
necessary, the life OF the nation was
1t stake. But that is not the question
now Surely with seven billions OF
federal bonds to be issued now We
should call halt"
Mr.. Finney was followed by Ex-SeD-
ltor Church, who also assailed the bill. |
Hon. Thomas H. PEBBLES made spir
ted attack on the bill and was repeat
sdly interrupted with applause. Hugh
lee Webster made careful and con-
analysis of the bill and de-
bounced ii as a measure simply for