Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-06-11
STATE HIGHWAY
LEGISLATION IN
PERIL, ASSERTS
GA. PRESIDENT
Henderson A peals for
Quick Action in S.
Georgia Districts


1t was announced this afternoon
that j. Lewis Ellis has accepted the
Craftsmanship for Sumter county of
the Georgia State Highways associa-
ton, and would begin at once organ
izing the county to line it up behind
the Assembly Highway bill, which is
being supported by the association.
He will make a canvass for individ-
ual memberships in the association,
following which mass meeting is
planned.
That the state is in danger of OBJ
taining no highway legislation at all
at the coming session of the legis-
lature was the statement made at the
meeting of the commissioners of the
chamber of commerce yesterday by
Leland ]. Henderson, of Columbus,
president of the Georgia State High
ways association, who was here on a
trip which he is starting through
South Georgia in an effort to obtain
action on the part of organizers to
whom had been delegated the respon-
s:tili+y of arousing the interest of
the public in demanding adequate
highway legislation this year.
After briefly presenting the high
way bill prepared by the majority of
the state highway commission, which
is backed by the Highways associa-
ton President Henderson said:
Cup to the time of the recent Or
ganization meeting of automobile
dealers in Macon, at which this pro-
posed legislation was indorsed, was
confident that there would be no diff
ficulty encountered in getting action
on this majority bill. Since then,
however, l have visited four or five
districts in the state and talked
people to get their views, and | con-
fess that | am forced to the conclu-
sion that there is grave danger of no
legislation being obtained at this ses-
sion of the assembly. There are sever
al reasons for this, the chief of which
is the failure of the people of the
state to concentrate on one bill which
we had hoped to put through.
Inaction in South Georgia.
81 find that a great deal of the
danger is chargeable to South Geor-
gia. The North Georgia districts, with
one or two exceptions, are organized
we'll, but in South Georgia l find very
little has ben done. IHc tlrle is
short and we must have action at
once or it will be too late, for if we
do not get highway bill through
early in the session, by July Is at
the latest, experience has shown that
there is small chance of getting one
through at all.
1--WE are now attempting to organ
: ize every county in the state quick
ly, before it is entirely too late. We
! Fare circulating petitions which we
5 are asking the influential men of
the community to sign, pledging their
I support to the highway bill as pre-
5 pared and favored by the majority of
| the state highway commission. All
! the members of the legislature are
t asked to sign this petition, which
gives us in advance definite line
? on the various members. Yesterday
| we launched promising organization
in Looly county, and l am appealing
to YOU gentlemen to see that Sumter
county is organized at once.
, "This matter is of vast Importance
: to your county. This highway bill
proposes a state highway system
/ which provides for at least two per-
I manent highways radiating from ev-
t cry county seat in Georgia, with four
such highways in those counties hav-
ing two or more representatives in
the assembly.
Refund on Duplications.
"These highways are to be built out
. of state funds and if they duplicate
any of the highways which you have
already paved, the money will be re
funded by the state to be used else
where in your county, thus greatly
adding to your paved highways at no
additional cost.
= "We do not claim this bill is per-
feet, but it is the best we have been
able to devise. 1t has been submit
ted to the highway engineer of ev-
cry state in the union and without
exception pronounced superior to
the minority report bill, which
4 is favored by Judge Patterson, the
dissenting member of the highway