The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-06
Defends Detour Through Selma

To the Editor of The AgesHeFald 10 '
 I have seen with considerable interest the showers of "Letters to the Editor" regarding the action of the state highway commission in recently approving road projects. cue of which runs by the home of Commissioner John Rogers at Gainesville and the other by the home of Commissioner J. r. Suttle at Felix. Standing alone, without explanation or a statement of the facts, these two bare recitals look like the case is made up, but when the essential factors and actuating, con- alterations involved are set out, there is a horse of another color. 1 have no interest in the controversy further than to cut away some of the special pleading and irrelevant chatter tnat has been indulse'l in, and to clear the ground for an intelligent unle. standing of tine issue as it Is joined. ] was a member of the delegation that went before the commission at Montgomery, urgr;. the approval of the Selma -Centrevlile project and am familiar with the arguments pro and con, and I am free to say that I IL not believe there is a jury of twelve fair-minded men in the state who, after hearing the two hours of argument, would not have brought in the verdict as it was rendered t>.,-
 Commissioner Scruggs of Birmingham, who now indicates that he is mortified at the ac- tion of the commission and who is gravely concerned that the rights of the dear people are being wantonly trampled upon, did on December IS, 1923, vote for the following resolution: Resolved, that the petitions from Dallas, Perry and Bibb counties for the Cahaba Valley road be granted and that a surveyors crew be put on the south end at as early date as possible to build said road via Barker's Mill, Felix, Radford and Sprotts to intersect the road between Marion and Centreville, and the said road become one of the trunk lines of the state, at as early a date as possible" This re solution was in tr''dureh 5y MT. Suttlc, was seconded by Nr iicrugss, and adopted unanimously by tne commission. Please par sill Mir. ScriI: gs December IS, 1923 with Mir ScrnGgs Tn The Ag"-llcrald Sunday, March 2. 1921.
 Here are the arguments for the Selma Centreville road: It does not annul the Marion-C -Centreville road. That project stands approved on the minutes of the state highway commission and construction work, 1t is learned, will begin before the completion of the Centreville-Selma road. Only five miles of the Marion road will remain to be built, and this will link up the four county seats of Centreville, Selma. Marion and Greensboro, all in the same judicial circuit, in accordance with the fixed road building policy of the state Hundreds of farmers in rich section of Perry and Bibb counties who are now isolated because of impossible roads will be served by this thorOughfare. The two bridges to cost 1000, referred to by Mir. Randall, he matches out of his imagination. These bridges are already built and are in fair condition and can be used for several years. The Selma -Centreville road is not a detour it is a north and south highway through the state, the Selma end of it running south 60 miles having already been constructed and is now in use.
 Also please get this straieht-there was no condition, expressed or implied, in t!e F.. cent bond sale of $7,000,00O that the money would be used wholly on federal-aid projects. The highway commission passed an order, as their minutes will show, to set aside $2.00J . GOO to be applied to federal-aid projects and
 0 apply the remainder to road building pro- lscts independent of federal aid. Governor Brandon, at both the Birmingham and Mont gomery conferences, eloQuently urged that the state of Alabama be permitted to go ahead