The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-08
CITIZENS DISCUSS HIGHWAYS

| lne Axe-t1eraIu IS pecullarly Sratl1leu a the sympathetic popular response to thi. newspapers efforts to bring about public recognition of the states obligation to spend l the highway bond issue on direct highways and on the federal-aid system. The highway commission has been so strangely remiss ir conceiving a statewide system of connecting highways, and in feeling its moral obligation to spend the public funds in the most eff cient manner and on the roads calculated best to serve the whole state, that an ex pression of popular opinion is needed to bring it back to its duty.
 The Age-Herald has received many let ters and telegrams protesting against costly neighborhood detours that a resume of their contents seems at this time especially ap. propriate. For example, ill opposing the Gainesville detour, Mir. F. J. Riley of Tus. caloosa says:
 I think all citizens and taxpayers
 should take a stand in this fight, and i if necessary get out an injunction to pre- 1 vent the commission from carrying out
 this "detour." As a travelling salesman,
 and engineer, I am willing to help in any manner possible to see that this route is nut through via Boligee, and am
 willing to- get up a petition among the
 travelling men.
 Why should travelling men in Tuscaloosa be concerned over detour in Boligee? Simply because, in going from Eutaw to Livingston, as they must do, they must make a seven and half mile .detour by way of Gainesville at cost of dollar or more additional per trip. That is a heavy tax indeed.
 The commissioners of Bibb county, through the probate judge, wires The Age-Herald it's appreciation of the full account of the highway meetings this newspaper carries. MT. Sam Meyer, merchant, of Meridian, tele- graphs: We do considerable business be- tween Meridian and Eutaw, Alabama, and heartily favor your stand for right in locating roads in the most direct route. We are also large taxpayers in Alabama" Mir. Meyer later wrote us more at length to the same effect The Citizens of Boligee promptly wired us: We believe your stand for the right will save Alabama millions of dollars. The whole state is behind you in this fight Epes: "We hope that you will continue to keep this matter before the public" It may be said at this point that the people of Ala bama, through their letters to the press and through their alertness to the public good can, as the citizens of Epes and Boligee have done, best keep this matter before the public until the states highway interest is properly protected.
 The wide interest in state routes and the general disapproval of neighborhood detours is shown by telegrams from distant centers. For example, witness this telegram from A. J. Lyon & O., Meridian: 'FWe congratu- late you on your stand for right with refer ence to good roads direct through Boligee and Epes, which is proper route from Meri- dian to Birmingham" Likewise, J. J. Smith, Sr., of Meridian: T believe I can safely say that every business man of Meri- dian and surrounding territory highly com mends the stand you have taken" Says Horace Wilkinson of Birmingham: "The opening of undeveloped territory in a county far removed from the most direct route be- tween county-seats is essentially q county matter. There is MO Justification for penaliz- ing the rest of the state in order to accommo- date a small section of a county" That is the kernel in the nut-the highway commis- sion is penalizing the whole state to serve an isolated community. That should be the ob- ject of local and county enterprise. State Senator Geo. W. Randall of West BlOcton declares that detour, such as that to Selma, mot only flagrantly violates and throws to the four winds the seven per cent system, but burdens the traffic for generations to come with an additional twenty-five miles," This is one of the legislators who voted for the passage of the highway amendment and we'll understands that it's intent is to promote through traffic and not to hinder it. Mir. w. R. Young president of the West Blocton Savings Bank:
 Only for the publicity The Age
 Herald is giving the highway situation,
 
 he helpless and the people as whole
 am sure will appreciate your interest in
 the matter.
 Messrs SpraginS and ,Speake, attorneys of Huntsville, write: We heartily approve the attitude you take in the natter Also Mir. Henry T. Bouchelle, writing about both the Boligee and the Hale county detours: T think people all over the state are on their toes right now to see that these highways are built in the most direct routess as we were led to believe when the bond issue was voted" There is no question that the people were led to believe that direct routes con meeting county seats and principal centers would be built in the most efficient manner, and on the counsel of eminent engineers, with the expenditure of the money coming under the supervision of the federal highway department. How far two of thA commission CTS have wandered from that purpose! Mir.