Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1926-10-07
DR.. B. B. D0UCHERTY
AT NORTH WILkESB0R0
Brilliant Address of Noted Educator
Before Recent Good Roads
Conference
BOONE TRAIL MEANS MUCH
To Northwest North Carolina; Money
Must Be Provided For Its
Completion

The Democrat is pleased to present
in full this week the brilliant address
of DR.. B. B. Dougherty before the
good roads meeting in Wilkesboro on
September %. 1t was not known
until this week that stenographer
took down the address, and while it
is a. little late, we feel that it is
well worth reproducing DR.. Dough-
terry spoke as follows:
"Mr Chairman, Ladies and Cen
tlemen:
Il have no speech to make. If 1
did have, | hope | would be too
thoughtful to speak at length at this
hour on this crowded program. He
who would talk long just now, must
commit suicide.
But if you will give me two
minutes of your time-only two
minutes-I will say this much:
First of all, l am North Caro-
linian. | love the whole state; love
North Carolina from the Tennessee
line down through Piedmont Caro-
| lina-where the electric lights over
lap each other from many progressive
cities; love North Carolina down in
the land of the artesian wells; love
North Carolina down to the sands of
/ the sea. | love her institutions; I
have common interest in every
home; and l have an intensive inter-
est in the welfare, prosperity and
happiness of every living human be-
ing in this commonwealth.
"But l hope it will not be indeli-
cate for me on this occasion to say
that l have a passionate pride in the
future growth and development of
northwest North Carolina. l was
born here; | have always lived here;
| expect to die here; | want to go to
heaven from here. Gas anxious as l
am about going to a better world, 1
must confess, however, that | am
not in big hurry about my depar-
ture)
"My friends, l can think of moth
ing that would add so much to the
physical growth and development of
this section of our state as the
building of a good road-not a fair
| ly good road-but an up-to-date,
first-class, concrete road, such as we
have in other parts of North Caro-
lina-from Winston-Salem to the
Tennessee line. | want it to come
out of Winston-Salem, across the
Yadkin river, through the fine coun-
ty of Yadkin, on to the Wilkesboros,
then up the slopes of the Blue Ridge,
through Deep Gap, and on to Boone;
from there to the Tennessee line,
connecting with the file road built
by that state, leading through Noun
tain City to Bristol, there intersect-
ing with the Lee Highway, giving
splendid connections, on hard sur
faced roads, into every state OF
| America.
But l hear a doubling Thomas
say: Can it. be done?' | think it can
i know it cam Let us join our
selves all along the line into single
/ unit. Let us create public sentl-
ment that will grow like the rolling
snowfall, until it becomes all power
| ful-even irresistible. Let us be-
lieve in our cause. Let us press our
| Just claim, and we shall succeed.
'But | hear mutterings as to where
we shall get the money. l can tell
YOU where we shall get it. We Will
pledge the credit of the state for it.
We will get it out of the same box
that we got the money when we
built the Central Highway from
Raleigh to Durham, to Greensboro,
Salisbury, Statesville, Hickory, Nor
canton, Marion and on to Ashevllie.
We will get the money out OF the
same box that we are now getting it
to build fine concrete roads from
Asheville through Haywood, Jackson
and other sparcely settled counties
west of Asheville.
'Let us have proper legislation this
winter, and next summer we shall see
dozen contractors working at
dozen different places; and by the
winter of 1927, we shall be driving
our automobiles, touring cars and
freight cars alike, from, Winston
Salem across the Blue Ridge noun
tains into Tennessee, on railroad
{ grades and at railroad speed. A
great momentum, never before
, known or even dreamed of, will come
our way Winston-Salem, the larg-
est. the richest, and one of the most
progressive cities in the state Will
become 'The Greater Winston-Sa-
lem Yadkinville-I know you will
be glad to get this message-wlll
then begin to grow. The Wilkes
boros will spread out until they
will make but one coronation. Boone
} will grow, flourish and prosper as
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