The Harrison times., 1920-02-21
E. G. MiTcHEll'S ADDRESS
ON THE ROAD CASE

titioners. l.. NJ. Garyin, p. C. Maggard
and Walter Snapp were appointed
commissioners OF the first road dis
trict. Judge McMahan held that that
effort was premature. The commits
sioners and others claimed a good deal
OF money and in order to collect IL Gar
win, Maggard and Walter Snapp were
claiming the right made an order to
collect seven mills additional tax
Judge Coffman refused that order and
he was mandamused. Judge Mitchell
made part of his argument below.
without fulsomness knowing your
honor, as lido know you, it seems less
than idle to stand here to defend the
home-owner. When did it become
necessary in your court to battle for
the homes Of the poor? AS a man and
as a Circuit Judge know you perhaps
better than any other man knows you.
L know that your whole nature revolts
at the continuous efforts to ruin the
home-owner by ever increasing tax
alton
In this case the parties named are in
deadly earnest, the petitioners want
money for themselves and after TAX
ing dsperate chances in other ways,
and failing. they now try to force a
new tax of seven mills on the homes
located in Road Improvement Dis
trict No. l.
In 1917 some of Harrison's biggest
men CD paraded the county in the in
terest of good roads. In their public
utterances they made the people un-
derstand that their motives were pure
J patriotic-that they wanted moth
ing and were then out working at their
own expenses. Everywhere they told
the people that the road would not
cost more than $4,000 per mile and
that the farmers could meet his tax
with an egg a day. The people bit
they fell This victory had been so easy
these big men (?) wanted more. They
procured a report that this $22OO0O
dirt road would have to be concreted
to the end that it might be a part OF
the great Jefferson Highway. This
double lie was gravely published in
the local paper. The Jefferson High
way is a dirt road and this road is not
and never can be part of the Jeffer
son Highway. Without consulting the
petitioners these big men CD changed
the specifications so that landowners
would have to pay more than $4,000
per mile for its construction or $32000O
judgement lien or mortgage would be
placed against the lands but not one
cent against merchandise, factories
banks or money-lenders.
Another bond issue Of $4,000 pei
mile was freely contemplated sor up
keep purposes. Some of the land-owr
ers woke up. There were open
threats of homicide
There are limits to the patience tc
free men. These big(O men who were
acting from pure patriotic motives &?
were never so lucky in their lives thar
when Judge McMahan annulled theil
efforts. To be fair to these big (?J
men they fought like demons to hold
on to this $4,000 per mile They
claimed to have spent thousands OF
dollars to kea this good roads move
ment. They talked long and loud
not only about their own patriotism
hut incidently abused the other side as
moss-backs. The carpet baggers uere
said to be the bravest people on earth
II so, their record has been badly beat
en-. The carpet-baggers merely rob
bed their enemies with the aid Of
troops and militia out of public
credit. They never tried to stea
homes. Their courage and even theil
infamy will soon be forgotten in the
hellish glare of recent history.
These big men (?) who talked loudly
Of their patriotism are now showing
their true motives with a vengeance
They want now to force your County
Judge, Bill Coffman, to levy an addi
tional tax Of seven mills to pay them
for their patriotic efforts and expenses
plus fees. Coffman did not prove to be
their tool. He refused Judge Free
hing had made an order to give to this
district the three mill County levy fol-
roads, which in twenty years would
have amounted to more than $3.50 00(
but Judge McMahan had held that
Judge Freezing was too generous; ant
then Bill Coffman has broken theil
hearts by holding that these big mer
MI haty