The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-01-27
MR.. COHOON IS
ALSO VERY BUSY
State Road Surveys Should Not
Be Influenced By These
Methods

Petitions for this and that route for
the entrance of the State Highway sys-
TEN from Hertford into Elizabeth City
are being busily circulated this week.
There are petitions for the road to en-
ter the city thru Ehringhaus St. and
petitions for the road to enter the city
via Main St.. interSecting Church st.
Both petitions have long list of sig
natures and in many instances the same
signatures are found on both petitions.
The names of y. Burfoot and c. r.
NIunden, both members of the Board of
County Commissioners, appear on both
petitions.
This newspaper has criticised the
activity of Alderman W. II. Jennette
in trying to influence the State High
way Commission to use the Ehringhaus
st. route. 1t appears now that Hon.
w. L. Cohoon. occupying the position
of General Counsel to the State High
way Commission itself has been quite
as active as Mr.. Jennette in favor of
the Main ST. route which would benefit
Mr.. Cohoon's property just as the Ehr-
inghauS st. route would enhance the
property values of Mr.. Jennette. 1t ap-
pears that Mr.. Cohoon has personally
solicited members OF the Board of
County Commissioners for their sup
port of his route and is the author of
petitions which are being circulated in
favor of his choice of routes. AT the
same time. this newspaper is informed,
Mr.. Cohoon is the author of certain
letters to the State Highway Commits
sion. which letters carry the signatures
of private citizens without indicating
Mr.. Cohoon's hand in their contrivance.
Believing that the State Highway Com
mission should be apprised of the ac-
tivities of two public officials who are
attempting to influence the decisions of
that body this newspaper gives the
facts.
The position consistently maintained
by this newspaper is that the State
Highway Commission should not be
bothered or confounded by petitions
from the citizens and. certainly, no
public official should use his Office and
influence in behalf of a project of which
he would be the chief beneficiary. The
route to be selected by the State High
the interest of economy, practicability
and the greatest good of the greatest
number of people. No matter what
route is selected some one will bene-
fit by that particular route; but the
route should not be selected because
of it's benefits to any particular indk-
vidual or influenced by selfish designs.
This newspaper opines that if the peO-
pie of this city and section do not quit
Uuarreling over road surveys, the State
Highway Commission will presently
withdraw from Pasquotank, refusing to
spend another dollar here until the
Commission is LET alone. There is an
old saying that beggars should not be
choosers.
Those who would construe this news
papers criticism of Alderman Jennette'
as an attack upon that gentleman are
not very careful readers. This news
paper has always found Warren Jen-
nette friendly, agreeable and prog
ressive citizen and Would dislike to
have any quarrel with him. This
newspaper is not going to have any
quarrel with him. But this newspaper
does believe Mr.. Jennette is wrong in