The Washington herald., 1921-04-06
COL. WYATT HITS
ARKANSAS ROAD LAWS.

COL. WYATT HITS
ARKANSAS ROAD LAWS.
when is a good road Law a bad
road law" is the question thou
sands of Arkansas land owners are
asking themselves following the
enactment of a series of so-called
good roads laws in that State.
Col. Charles s. Wyatt, OF Little
Rock, seen at the Raleigh, says that
the recent road laws enacted by the
Arkansas legislature are a vicious
piece of class legislation and should
be repealed. as they have placed
many land owners on the brink OF
financial ruin.
Under these laws land owners
have been taxed to a point where
the levy was equal to and even ex-
ceeded the gross income of the prop
erty involved" said Col. Wyatt.
The laws are known as road i'm
provement" district laws and invest
road commissioners with practically
czar-like authority. Road districts.
at the instance of these commits
sioners, have been bonded in. all
parts of the State until the burden
on some communities is so heavy
that II is doubtful whether these
districts will ever je out of debt.
CONDEMNED AS UNJUST
AND DISCRIMINATORY.
The laws have been officially con-
demned as unjust and discriminatory
Col. Wyatt says. Thomas c. McRae,
the new governor of Arkansas, has
denounced the laws as the most
vicious system of special legislation
ever enacted in any State. Associate
Justice Hart, of the State Supreme
Court. in a juaicially expressed
opinion, declared that millions OF
dollars have been expended on roads
that begin nowhere and end no
where" The governor. although
elected on a platform that pledged
q reform of the road laws, has been
unable to secure remedial measures
because Of the hostile attitude of the
State senate.
The State Supreme Court Is
divided as to the constitueionality
of the act" Col. Wyatt said. "lr
one district, while a hearing wa.
in progress. a hungry crowd Of tax
payers marched in and forced the
commissioners to resign at the poin'
of guns. Many suits are being
started in which taxpayers will en-
deavor to prove that the laws are
violation of provisions of the Con
stitution of the United States guar
| anteeing the rights of propert!
| owners"
These laws as passed by previous
| legislatures call for a road program
! with an expenditure Of $140,oOo.0oe
With a per cert interest on 20
year bonds. this would mean a deb
| of approximately 5000. 100000.
PROPERTY OWNERS PAY
ENoRBITANT BOND PRICES.
TT has been shown that prop
erty owners have been charged ex
orbitant prices for road work" saiC
| Col. Wyatt. On the Arkensas-Mis
! souri, highway project, a Little Rocl
J grand jury charged, a few week'
ago, that at least s1.ooo.o0o ha'
b1n squandered on that alone.
Road building costs have beei
much higher in Arkansas than ii
| other States" the colonel continued
| In Illinois and Michigan, for ex
ample. the average cost per mill
for a-concrete road from sixteei
to twenty feet wide and with al
| average depth of seven inches a
| the edge and eight inches in tn
| center. runs from $4,000 to s35.
| 900. In Arkansas, where the con
crete has a maximum depth of nv
| inches. the cost. according to
grand jury investigation in one dis
trict. ran from $4,000 to s64,5o
| per mile"
Arkansas taxpayers were ais
led to believe through propagands
that the Federal government woul
share the cost of road projects oil
a .ffty-fifty basis. This was un
true. since the Federal allotmen
to the State for highway improve
ments does not exceed $5,000,00(
OF this Col. Wyatt says. so far oni,
S50o,ooO is said to have been paid
The rest OF the allotment is her
in the government vaults and 1t /
believed doubtful IL more Fedora
aid will be given until the presen
evils are corrected in Arkansas.