The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1920-05-14
VOLUME XXXV1
R0USING ROADS BOND
ISSUE MEETING.

Ai1hNo ~ viz NNAisNA NNNiSAi Va VI
surface roads practically all over
Henderson county, was held in the
courthouse last Tuesday night and
was attended by goodly number of
representative progressive citizens.
County Judge L. B. johnson pre-
sided over the meeting and W. v.
Barry was made secretary.
In response to call for expressions
fromcitizens, Hon. E. W. Essary
made talk in which he endorsed the
roads bond issue and told of his OBJ
servance of good roads in East Ten
nessee, built at great expense in ma
ny counties much poorer, agricultur-
ally, than Henderson county. Mr..
Essary sees the handwriting on the
wall, telling that good roads are COM
ing-and he wants them to come
while he is living.
Cooper C. Sweat said he did not
favor the proposition-until he un-
derstood it and that the people are in
the same condition. Let them fully
understand the plan proposed to give
Henderson county good roads and the
bond issue win be voted by an over
whelming majority. Let the people
know that the roads will be built by
men who have had practical eperi-
enee in the work, men furnished by
the government, whose only interest
is to come to the specifications, and
the people will not hesitate to vote
the bonds which can not bear over 51s
per cent interest.
DIR. G. H. Johnston asked mforma-
tion as to how the roads are to be
built and Trustee w. F. Appeleby
made the explanation, beginning with
the action Of the County Court in
Submitting the proposition to be vot-
ed upon by the people on June 18th.
He told how we are to contribute
$3.50, 900 to the State and Federal
governments, which viii add that sum
to like amounts, each, furnished by
the State and Nation, and then pro-
ceed to lay off and let contracts for
building the roads. He told bow we
pay and have long paid highway
tax and that we are now offered the
benefit OF that tax in the $3.50 300 to
come from the State He said that he
had an abiding faith in the people of
Henderson county and that when they
fully understood the rare opportuni-
ty offered them, they would accept
it without hesitation.
Judge l.. B. Johnson said he believ-
ed that Henderson county was on the
eve of witnessing the fulfillment of
the ancient prophecy that "the high
places would be brought low and the
crooked places made straight'-that
the hills would be dug down and the
crooked roads made straight and given
a hard surface in Henderson county.
The Judge stated that he had been in
personal conference and correspon-
dence with the State Highway Com
mission in regard to the building of
the contemplated roads, that this
meeting was called to get full grasp
of the matter and TO carry the news
to the people all over the county. He
recently spent a day in the office of
the State Highway Commission and
there got full information as to how
the roads are to be contracted and
constructed. The work of road build
ing is in the hands of the State of
Tennessee aided by the counties and
the Federal Government. That we
must first show the State that we
have in hand the required sum of
$3.50, ,000-raised by the bond issue,
with interest not to exceed 5i5 per
cent-then the State takes our mon
ey, or rather adds to it the $3.50, 1000
furnished by the State and the $780,
600 furnished by the Federal Gov
ernment, and proceeds with the work,
the first step in which will be the
coming toHenderson county Of expert |
government engineers, under bond,
who will survey and lay out the roads.
He said right here that once we is
sue our promise to pay, in the form |
Of bonds, we will have no trouble in |
getting the money because Henderson |
County has Ten Millions of Dollars
Of vissble wealth. Contracts are
made on acceptance of sealed bids,
after advertising four weeks in To-
cal paper and two weeks in the most |
suitable city daily paper. No road |
built will be accepted until Federal |
engineer has gone over the work and |
has seen that it has been built accord
ing to specifications. The plan is as
honest and plain as progressive men