The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-25
CITIZENS DO NOT
 APPROVE RULING
(continued From Page One)

that there was nothing in the files to indicate that any protest ever had been made, that the Greene county commissioners had approved the con- struction of the road by way of Gainesville, an dthat this route would require the construction of only three miles more of road than the Boiigee route, at an added cost of only $50. 900, but that more peo- pie would be served"
 Urges Epes-BoIiEee Way.
 More people are bound to be served by going miles out of the way and taking in outlying towns, Mir. John ston declared at the meeting, but the most direct and most feasible" route from one county seat to the other, as well as the cheapest route, was the logical one straight through Epes and Boligee.
 w J. Willis. president of the Sum ter Bank and Trust company of Epes, contributed the information that there are three white families living along the 1S-mile Appian Way be- tween Livingston and Gainesville, which was built last year over the protest of Greene county citizens.
 Not only is the Epes- Boligee route the shortest between the county seats, but ii is tho most practical from an engineering standpoint MT, Johnston and other speakers pointed out. II bridge is built across the river at Gainesville, IL wii have to be twice a 8 long as q bridge at Epes. Furthermore, it was declared, the present ferry at Gainesville is known to all travellers as nuisance and menace. Such is the nature of the ferry approach. it was asserted, tha. automobiles become mired when n Ter rtt fo Ion fee of 5 is paid to a man with mules to drag out the car. It is impossible to have adequate ferry facilities at Gainesville because of the low-lying marsny land. often inundated by the river, it was declared, and for the same reason bridge across the stream at this point would cost more than a million dollars. Moreover, there is only one unloading point on a railroad along the Gainesville route. where road materials may be unloaded whereas fEsre, are six on the Boligee- -Epes route. Gainesville is not situated 5n a railroad Tn ad- dition, there are five gravel pits on -the shorter route, which material must be hauled a long way on the Gainesville route.
 snys ROuse Preferred.
 There is a better section of coun- try OUT way paying twice the taxes that are paid along the proposed Rogers route" said Mir. Johnston. Tourists and travelling men in gen eral prefer our route. As q matter of fact, business houses of Birming- ham. Meridian, Nashville and other cities have contributed to the fund with which we are providing" a new ferry across the river at Epes. It will be ready within two weeks from now There were 1 cars lined up at the Epes crossing the other day people was thought our ferry was in operation. We should like to see MT. Rogers realize his ambition that all roads might lead to Gainesville, and change the name of his home town to Rome, if lie likes, but we believe that in simple lstice to the people who are paying for the public roads, some body else should be considered be- sides Mr. Rogers.
 "A federal engineer has been over the two routes and has said that there was no comparison between the two. We went before the old high way commission4in Birmingham with our maps and data, after we had eX- pended a large sum of money to ob- tain an independent survey They took our maps and data and We have been unable to get them back. Now Mr. Rogers is quoted as saying that we never made protest, and that Greene county commissioners voted in favor of the Guntersville route. We are informed by the Greene county board that that action was taken two years ago before the mat ter of the Epes Boligee route was ever taken up.
 Not only have the taxpayers got