Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1920-10-08
AMENDMENTS TO
HIGHWAY LAW
Change of Constitution Will
Give State Opportunity to Do
Necessary Road Building
Without Increased Taxes.

Why you should vote Eyes" fol
the proposed Constitutional Amend.
ment to enable the Legislature ant
the governor of our State to use the
credit of the State for Highway con.
struction.
BY voting Eyes" on November End
you say to your Legislature that
you want Virginia to be in posi-
for dollar, in whatever increased
appropriations Congress may see fiji
to make and that you want u system
of state highways reaching every
section of the state constructed as
rapidly as they can be economical
ly and efficiently built.
You do not ote to issue any amount
Of bonds. If this constitutional
amendment is carried and becomes a
part of our organic law, the Legis-
lature will have the right and the
constitutional authority to provide by
law for the issuance of bonds in
such amounts as to them shall seem
wise and necessary at the time. We
can safely trust the Legislature of
Virginia to meet the issue squarely
when it arises. If Congress agrees
upon u measure whereby Virginia
will receive ten millions or fifteen
millions of dollars, providing like
amount is put up by the state, then
it will be Virginia's opportunity to
promptly meet the Federal Govern
ment with a like amount.
You are simply saying 81 am will
ing to bive to the State of Virginia
the same privileges which have been
delegated to counties, cities and Will
ages, namely, the right to borrow
money for highway construction pur-
poses."
Equipped with the constitutional
authority, your Governor and Legis-
lature, working through the high
way department, can build system
of state highways in from five to
estimated to omplete the present
limited program.
Virginia will then take her place
along with the other great states of
New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
Illinois, California, and Alabama,
which have amended their state con-
stitutions providing for the issuance
of bonds when necessary to carry
out their state highway construction
program. The Legislatures of the
states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mis-
souri,, Georgia, West Virginia and
Florida have submitted constitution
nj amendments. for vote of the
people this Fall. Mississippi, Ten
nessee, Louisiana, and North Caro-
lima are among the states preparing
to submit the same question to their
people for ratification.
Through the bond issue plan, it
will be possible to build the same
system of highways in approximate
ly six years after the bonds are au-
thorized.
Hon. George P. Coleman, your
state highway commissioner, is the
authority for the statement that the
Legislature could authorize the is
suance of serial bonds up to the
amount of $50,000,00O without in
creasing the general tax of the state
one cent.
Some people have the idea that to
vote eyes" means that the Legisla-
ture is Immediately to take steps to
bond the state for fifty or more mil
lions and to spread the same on the
taxable property of the state. This
is only an example of the mis-infor-
nation which is abroad
REMEMBER.
You are not voting on November
the second to bond this state for a
large sum for good rOads-you are
only voting authority to the Legis-
lature to provide funds from time
to time as they are required.
The state highway system of Vir-
ginia will serve approximately SD
per cent of the people of the state
who live on or within five miles of a
state highway. This means that the
system, when completed, would, in
itself, permit rs per cent of the popu-
lation, by going five miles or less,
reach a state highway over which
they can travel to any point in the
state. However, by the time this
system is completed, through the
continuation of state aid and the
construction of lateral roads through
local bond issues or other means,
there will be available more than
twice the mileage of the designat-
ed system of state highway travel
able in any kind of weather and at
any season of the year.
We are on the eve of "Virginia's
New hour an hour of prosperity
and happiness, such as this state has
never known, Let us speed it's com.
ing by going to the polls on No
vember End and voting for the Good
Roads Constitutional Amendment, SC
that your Governor and the Legis-
lature may be prepared to prompt.
w meet the Government dollar fol
dollar on all Federal Aid offered the