Lee-Taylor County GaArchives News.....Good Roads April 30 1909 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Harris Hill harrishill@starband.net August 31, 2003, 6:59 pm The Schley County News The Schley County News Friday, April 30, 1909 No. 17 We publish a letter from a Lee county citizen to the Butler Herald, touching upon the road question, feeling perhaps that it might prove interesting to our readers just at this time when so much is being said in connection with the road subject in Schley. We will not comment on the article further than to say that Schley county is more amply capacitated to build and maintain goods (good roads?) than the county of Lee, and we could maintain a road working system for ten years and make the show as indicated below, certainly no one would have cause to regret. Read what they have done in Lee. GOOD ROADS Smithville, Ga., April 2-- Editor Herald:--Having noticed the cloud of dust that is being kicked up in Taylor county about Good Roads, and that you were to decide the question soon by ballot, I could not refrain from "butting in," although "Fools butt-in where angels fear to tread." Having lived a score of years in Taylor, I know something of the horrows (horrors?) of her sand beds, and then having been in Lee, that claims to have among the best roads in the state, I have seen something of the advantages of good roads. While your farmer drags along with 1600 or 1700 pounds, a good load for two mules, the farmer here hauls 2500 to 3000 easily. Lee county began working public roads with convict(s) ten years ago and at that time, I am told, that the lands along the public roads could be bought at $1.00 to$2.50 per acre, and the same lands could not be bought now for less than $10.00 to $30.00 per acre. Just this year they have constructed a turnpike fifteen feet high, twenty feet broad and three quarters of a mile long and an immense iron bridge. This is on the line of Terrell county and Terrell has leveled things from the bridge to the hill on the other side with her convicts, makes a piece of very fine road, where formerly was a swamp road deserted by all. And I dare say if the county commissioners had waited for the people to have done this work, it would have remained a swamp road until Gabriel blows the ram's horn. All this done in a smooth easy way, without kicking. There is a certain luxury in growling, even the man who thinks he is happy growls because he isn't too sure of it. Some of the kickers fumed and fused, and "cussed" the commissioner about the great expense of working the roads the new fangled way, avowing that the county would be bankrupted and forever ruined financially. But today, the ......................per thousand, and last year before the taxes were collected the treasurer reported $12,000 on hand and the county did not owe one cent. She works about thirty convicts,has a dozen fine mules and as good road machinery as can be bought. Good roads are coming fast and if you do not mean to travel a good road you had better sell out and quit Georgia and move to the Rocky mountains or somewhere else. The covict system has come to stay. Yours Truly, H.K. SEALY-----Butler Herald. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 3.5 Kb