The log cabin Democrat., 1921-10-27
FAULKNER COUNTY
 GIVEN PROMINENCE
IN ARTICLE INI0UTLOOK
Interesting Story by Sherman Rogers on Arkansas Roads Appears in
 Big New York Weekly.

Faulkner county is given promi- nent place and much favorable con- ment in the article, "A Defense of Arkansas,' by Sherman Rogers, which appears in the current number of the Outlook, one of the nations leading weekly magazines, published in New York. Mir. Rogers during the course of two weeks investigation of conditions in Arkansas, spent day in Conway and Faulkner county ear ly in September. He came here to ascertain the truth or falsity of a series of sensational artices publish ed in the New York Times and other papers last winter, in which it's was declared that Arkansas was will fully plunging into bankruptcy" be- cause of it's road building program. He visited various agricultural sec tions of the state, especially those under fire from the New York news papers, travelling 2,250 miles in the state by automobile and 1000 miles by rail, interviewing hundreds of citizens in all walks of life.
 'I can summarize the results of my investigation as follows" MT. Rogers writes:
 First, neither Arkansas nor any part of Arkansas is in any danger of insolvency over roads or any other improvement.
 Second, tax collections in the state in the past and at present 192D show as high percentage of prompt payment of maturities as any other state in the union.
 Third, the individual delinquencies in meeting tax payments are lower than in 43 states of the union.
 Fourth, tax payments in Arkansas call for 10 per cent more than is ac tually necessary to meet matutities; therefore improvement districts have always a goodly balance of cash on hand after maturities are met, pro tecting the investor against possible individual delinquencies that may oc cur
 Fifth, fully 98 per cent of the peo- pie of the state of Arkansas are well satisfied with the road building programme and bitterly resent the adverse publicity that has been given the state.
 Sixth, it is true that there have been discriminations in isolated cases. It is true that in one district in the state a short road has been construct have been, and therefore cost over twice as much as it should have cost; but so far as security in that road is concerned, every dollar expended is covered by lien on property worth many times the indebtedness.
 Seventh, Arkansas has met the payments accruing on taxes which were due in June, July, and August, 1921, on practically a 100 per cent basis, which directly contradicts the newspaper charges.
 Eighth, the road laws are not confiscatory, but, on the other hand, the money expended on roads has en- hanced the value of the land affect ed from three to 20 times the total amount of the improvement tax levies against the lands.
 Ninth, Arkansas is in better shape today than most of the states in the union, which is attested by the fact that her wholesale merchants have transacted more cash business in the past month than at any other time in her history"
 Mir, Rogers story of his trip to Faulkner county follows:
 'I first visited the Faulkner coun- ty road districts that were widely quoted in first-page newspaper arti- cles a few months ago as being al-
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