Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1921-10-14
BONDS AND PROGRESS

The mark of progress is the for
ward step. The successful man.
like the prosperous state, strides on,
knowing that advancement depends
upon action. The procession is
moving and it leaves behind those
who are not redblooded enough to
take a place in the ranks, Kentucky
just now is standing on the side
lines. Let it join the march! :
There is one great handicap to
Kentucky's progress. 1t is bad
roads. The farmer knows it, the
merchant knows it, the banker
knows it and the manufacturer
knows it. Every day Kentucky is
losing money and retarding the on
ward pace because of roads that
were all right when the country was
q Wilderness but which are obso-
late in a twentieth century COM
monwealth.
When the legislature meets next
January it will be offered the op-
portunity of presenting to the peo-
pie plan for the solution of the
road handicap. If it is ratified by
the legislature and the people, the
State will be blessed with 1000
miles of new road within five years
without an increase Of a cent in
taxation. Kentucky, in other words,
will have jumped from the sidelines
and entered the procession.
1t would be difficult to say just
how much 1000 miles of new road
would benefit the state. 1t is
quite as difficult to determine how
the State can progress if this road
mileage is not soon completed. Two
years ago the legislature enacted
law providing for a primary road
system. This law is in force now
and, under it, the primary road sys-
tenn will not be completed until a
good proportion Of those living are
dead and gone.
The modern business man is
judged by the wisdom which he bor-
rows. No prosperous business de-
ponds wholly upon it's cash on hand.
1t operates, it must operate, to
great extent on credit. 1t cannot
possibly have in it's money drawers
the millions necessary for great en-
terprises of expansion and improve
ment. Hence United States gov
eminent bonds, railroad bonds, mu-
nicipal bonds. These make possible
immediate realib cation of improve
ments, facilities and economies en-
tirely out of reach when depend
ence is placed on hand-to-mouth
or cash-in-hand policy.
Added to the prospect of 1000
miles of new road within the next
five years, the Kentucky state fair,
the University of Kentucky, the
three Normal schools, and penal
and charitable institutions would
receive funds which they need bad
". The total amount proposed to
be devoted to roads is $42,OOO,OOO,
leaving $8,OOO,OOO for these other
purposes.
1t is true that $5O,OOO,O0o is a
large sum of money. 1t is entirely
possible that many will object to
the bond issue because it is such
large sum. Perhaps some will say h
that Kentucky has never done such
a thing before. But aside from
these purely superficial and off
hand objections, it is hard to
imagine that any one who exam
ines the details of the proposal
would condemn it simply because
'tit is a lot of money" or that Ken
lucky as a state it is a novelty
The kernel of the nut is that
Kentucky is already paying $780,
600 a year for roads. 1t will con-
tinue to pay that sum whether the
bond issue is passed or not. How
ever, if the bond issue is ratified
L will take only five years, in
stead of a generations span, to
build the great improvements for
which the state is langulshing,
To state it in other terms, Ken
lucky is buying good roads because
is property is dependent upon
rood roads. 1t is plain that the
sooner the state gets the roads the