Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-08
HOWARD MASTERLY
IN HIGHWAY BOND TALK
Declares Hard Fight Is Faced To Put Issue Over
Because of Spread of Misinformation-
Replies To Critics

A mastery talk, ringing with
sincerity from the heart, was deliver
ed in Americus in behalf of the pro-
posed $75,000,0O0 state highway
road bond issue last night by Judge
G.. H. Howard, Of Atlanta, former
superior court judge of the Chatta-
hoochee circuit and later attorney
for the state highway commission.
Judge Howard was the principal
speaker on the occasion of the dinner
given jointly by the three civic clubs
of Americus to the good roads boost
ers tour of the Georgia State Auto
mobile association at the Windsor
hotel.
Judge Howard resigned his place
as attorney to the highway commits
sion to relieve himself of cmbarrass-
ing influences attempting to stop
with him in his fight for the bond
issue. He declared he is not now
connected with the department or
holding any office of any kind and
not receiving any compensation
whatever for his services.
"This is the one unselfish thing
| have done in my life" said he with
great earnestness. Like the man
who planned the Brooklyn bridge and
was stricken before his dream was
realized, | hope that if | do not live
to see this great undertaking for
Georgia realized, when it shall have
come to pass someone will go to my
five sons and say to them that their
father had a part in it.
Few Counties Now Benefit.
Judge Howard covered the whole
ground of the proposed bond issue
in brief, and touch many new points
not brought out heretofore in Amer
icus. He showed that from 1916 to
1921 only SO counties of Georgia had
received more than so per cent Of the
federal aid money coming into the
state because they were able to
match it, as returned. He said that
up to this time this year 2G projects
had been approved in only rs coun-
ties out of the states 100, despite the
fact that the state highway depart
ment started out on a policy January
l Of approving no federal aid rcquesa
for more than $4,000 in order to
give every county a share of the mon
ey available.
That the counties and the people
have the money for roads he showed
was true by declaring that there now
is in the banks Of the state $1,000
900 Of unspcnt bond money among
6 Securities that have issued bonds.
But he asserted that the state bond
plan was the only way of spreading
the benefits everywhere.
But his appeal was not for the
more progressive and rich counties,
which are well able to care of them
selves, but for those which are poor
er and cannot. He declared that 81
counties in Georgia had never had a
dollar Of federal aid money coming
into the state, despite the fact that
their people had helped to pay that
money into the federal treasury just
as those of the more fortunate coun-
ties had done.
"It isn't right and we as Georgian's
shouldn't permit it to continue"
said he.
He pointed to number of North
Georgia counties, where because Of
the mountainous character of the
country road building is almost pro-
hibitive when the expenses are borne
by the counties themselves. He said
that Dade county, sparsely settled
because Of conditions, had bonded it.