The daily times., 1921-10-11
MR.. H. c. CONNOR
TA[KSOF ROADS
BEFORE MEETING
GREENSBORO MEETING
Tells His Audience That Con-
stitutional Amendment IS
Necessary in Order to Pro-
vide Funds to Raise Suff1-
cient Revenue to Build
Road}

Greensboro, N. c. Oct 11--Mr.
H. G. Connor, Jr., of Wilson in his ad-
dress before the Good Roads conVen-
tion, in session here, spoke as follows:
.'Some months or so ago, your sec
retary wrote me in the name OF this
Association, asking, very nearly COM
manding, me to be here today and
address this Convention. Whatever
quarrel you may have, l pass on to
her.
She had the good sense, however,
to name my subject, thereby confln-
ing me as nearly as she could, to the
discussion of one thing.
The mere mention of taxes and
taxation has tendency to throw a
spirit of gloom not only over individ-
uals, but collections of individuals.
They are not pleasant words and do
not carry with them any pleasant as
sOciation.
$50 far as 1 have been able t0 as
certain, there has lived only one per-
son of whom it could be said that he
had the gift of combining eloquence
with a discussion of taxation and he
was no less person than William E.
Gladstone. So far as human history
discloses, or rather I should say, my
limited knowledge of human history
discloses, he and he alone had this
power. While 1 am not aspiring to
approach him, it is not amiss that I
warn you at the outset: Do not ex-
pect eloquence. OF course, had your
Secretary permitted me to have cho-
sen my subject. then you would
doubtless have heard real eloquence.
She and she alone is to be censured
am guiltless. Everyone knows that 1
can be eloquent, but l know, and be-
fore get through, you will know, 1
not only cannot be eloquent when
speaking about taxes, but 1 doubt If
can even so much as remove the ap-
preaching pail of gloom which always
settles over a meeting when it is an
nounced that the next speaker will
discuss taxes If anyone desires to
leave, kindly do so before 1 proceed.
I will understand that it is the sub.
.ject and not me that you are running
from.
Before approaching a discussion
of this subject, permit me to call your
attention and to warn you against
one of the tendencies of American
life. I am speaking of the copying
habit We ape too much. A British
writer, whose name 1 do not now re-
call, mentioned and illustrated our
tendencies along this line quite for
chilly. He called attention to our hab-
1t, for instance, of speaking of this
or that College or University as be-
ing The Harvard of the South OF
The Yale of the West He said that
he could not quite understand why il
was that everywhere one went in Am
erica the people in that particular
section constantly referred to their
institutions in this manner.
AS is well known to all of us. Har-
ward is in the state of Massachusetts
Cambridge, adjoining Boston. Yale
is in Connecticut. The conditions in
and around Cambridge and Boston
which produced Yale may or may not
exist elsewhere. Therefore, the
chances are that there is no need Of
Harvard of the South or a Yale
OF the West Why then attempt te
copy OF ape. without first CONSIDERING
the different conditions?
''It seems TO me that I have seen
<nls condition of affairs in North
Carolina. We must not blindly COPY
any system of taxation which has
solved the road problem withou,
thoroughly considering the condi
tions surrounding the territory ir
which the problem was solved an6
then ascertain if the same condition:
= exist in North Carolina.
"The first problem then is to as
certain and thoroughly understand
conditions in North Carolina ant
which confront us in our road build
ing problem and with which we mus
of necessity deal.
AS is usually the case, nature tool
hand in road building before man
North Carolina is very nearly 60;
miles In length from east to west ant
about $50 to ESQ in width. Begin
ming at the ocean on the east, W,
have the sand dunes and bars, the,
q system Of sounds, then the easter,
swampss the land then gradually ris