Mountain advocate., 1921-09-16
'easons. He said:

gresham that Knox County--my
county, the county love and live in,
has the worst name OF any county in
America in the matter of roads.
They say there is more obstruction
to good roads than In any county in
America. They also say they find
that people are threatening their
men with shot guns and pistols to
prevent them building good roads.
When I heard this kind OF talk II
hurt me because I knew that the
overwhelming majority OF my peo-
pie want good roads. but there are
some road hogs. A man who knows
that a good road is coming and holds
up the taxpayers OF the county is
Just right OF way hog who has got
in close place and holds you up.
! have as much respect for him as
up on the highway. The fellow that
is going to be ruined as soon as
he gets your money finds he has a
fine property for sale 'on the Dirie
Highway Such men should be made
to feel it uncomfortable to live in
Knox County.
Congress paid you the high COM
pliment OF passing my bill appropri-
ating S0,0O0.000 to go into roads
THIS YEAR and a number of peo-
pie with pistols and shotguns say
you shall not get the benefit of that
money Theer is $16O,O0O being
spent among them for grading the
road. contributed by every other part
of the nation and the road men have
to be run over by gun men and pis-
tol toters and be indicted and fined.
THE reason the contract has not
been let to build the Corbin end is
because this end was not ready and
the money went to some other sec
tion. When we quit this foolishness
we shall have a waterproof, dust
proof highway costing $4,000 per
mile from one end OF the county to
the other.
Then, under my bill, Kentucky,
as a state, will have to keep the road
in good shape every day of the year.
"The routing of the road may not
be just to your liking. but do not
let little peanut politics prevent the
spending OF a million dollars in the
county which will secure us a road
that does not cost us a cent and
which will raise the value OF every
foot OF land along the road. Con-
gress and the State have left the
decision as to the route OF the road
up to the National and State Road
Commissions. l have no power to
say where it will go. the Fiscal Court
has no power to say where it shall |
go. This power rests. as l have said,
with the Joint Road Commissions,
State and Federal.
IF you lose this road 1t Is your
own fault and the fault OF no one
else"
The speaker said the Mountain
counties are being treated fine In the
matter OF road money apportion-
ment, Mr.. Boggs, the State engineer,
stating that 'Mr. Robson has Sc
cured more money for Kentucky |
than all the rest OF the Kentucky |
Congressman put together and he
would see that the Mountain section
Is well taken care off,, or the
$1,000,000 Federal aid money spent
in the United States this year Ken
tucky's part was about $4,000 for
each county OF which Knox County
got $16O,000 and within the next
year we shall get about another
s $l,O00,000 II we clean up the right
Of way situation. Laurel county this
year got s167,OO0. Whitley, $175,
900. and Bell and other counties of
The l1th District also got money
which shows that the 11th District
;" Ao'AA6 "Ch uhucT tu6 law. Inc
speaker said he hoped the people OF
Knox County would not permit GER
tain men to obstruct the building Of
The road which is paid for out OF
The taxes Of the rest OF the country.
The Congressman said. with
such a road a farm can be split in
half and the road run thru II and
each half sell for more than the
whole OF the farm as 1t stands at
present. The road hog, who calls
he merchants profiteers when they
make perhaps fifty per cent profit,
himself wants twenty times the
value for piece OF land. What
kind Of a profteer is he who is Keep
ng us from getting good roads. ?"
The speaker said he hoped that
he people would see to II that the
Inc assessed against the State en-