REPLY TO H. McGEE
Wm. R. Petree, of Germanton,
Shows His Reasoning To Be Un
fair In Various Particulars.
Germanton. N. C.,
March 24th, 1913.
Messrs. Editors :
I notice that Mr. McGee, of
Germanton. has quite a lengthy
article in your paper in which he
gives his reasons why we should
n .)t sell b>nds for the purpose of
building roads. I would not
attempt to reply to the gentle
man's article were it not
for the fact that he challenged
me to a joint discussion of the
subject, over Meadows town
ship. several weeks ago. 1 im
mediately accepted the chal
lenge. and asked him to name
his dates. Ho promised to do so
when he got ready. 1 suppose
he has not yet got ready
as he has not yet named any
dates. So in view of the fact
that I have been challeng-'
ed by the gentleman. I feel that
it devolves upon me to reply to
his article. In his article he
says he is not opposed to good
roads. This seems to me
to bean unnecessary statement.
It stands to reason that no one
with just ordinary judgment
would be against good roads..
and it is no advantage to the
cause of good roads to accuse a
man of being opposed to them
because he is against the bond
issue. We all want good
roads but are we willing to go
down in our pockets and pay
for them? That is the question.
Or do we wish to continue the |
present inefficient system?
The free labor system is not
only a farce, but it is very un
just to one class of our citizens
as it shifts the burden of road.
work on them, when it justly
belongs to another class. In
the first mentioned class we'
have the hirelings and tenants'
who are now bearing the prin
cipal burden of road work. As a:
rule they can get along very I
well without the roads, as aj
majority of them do not own,
wagons and teams. In the sec-1
ond class, we have the property
owner who does not as rule con-.
tribute one cent toward road
work. These oeople own the
wagons and teams that cut up ;
the roads after poor hirelings:
and tenants build them. Is this ;
justice? Well, it is not my idea j
of justice, but you say: "I have I
worked out my time and myi
boy is no better to work his |
time than I was." Let me re
mind you that probably your
father was compelled t > live in
a sixteen feet square pen with
a wooden chimney and wear
wooden bottom shoes, but you
are not doing this out of sympathy
for your father. Reasoning from
this standpoint we never would
ma e any progress. This is
enough about the present system
for we all know it's no good. We
want a practical system, one
that will produce results. Let
us take up Mr. McGee's proposed
system and see if it is the thing
we want. He says he favors
a tax of 50 cents on the
SIOO worth of property
and 51.50 on the poll, which
would produce $2824.92 per
year or 584.747.60 in 30 years.
Mr. McGee admits that no
permanent riads could be built by
this plan. So is it good business
to spend this stupendous sum and
get no permanent roads? Is
it a good policy to go on year
after year spending the peoples'
money to throw up dirt in the
middle of the road to become
hub deep in the winter? Any
one knowing the experience of
our sister county, Forsyth,
knows that she virtually threw
away thousands of dollars by a
system of this kind. Let us
profit by the experience of other
counties.
Mr. McGee says we can build
no permanent roads by a bond
i issue of $40,000. Well, let's see
about that. In 191> The Progres
sive Farmer had an article in it
written by Mr. Ferguson of
Franklin county. N. C. Mr. Fer
guson states that 15 months
prior to his article : "Franklinton
township in Franklin county
voted to sell *40.000 worth of
bonds, and in fifteen months
afterwards they had built 25
miles of the best road in the
State." This township is about
the size of Meadows, has just
a few miles of railroad, and one
town with SCR) inhabitants.
Mr. J. C, Hardy, of Rottoway
county. Ya.. has an article in
the same issue of the Progres-1
sive Farmer. Here is what Mr.
Hardy says : "Fortunately, na
■ ture has so provided in the Pied
mont section of Virginia that
where there are red clay roads,
sand or grey top-soil is not too
far olf to build splendid roads
at moderate cost. On very
many places the sand-clavs are
so well mixed naturally that it is j
only necessary to give the road
proper drainage and sunshine.
The convict force of about 24
working men with six double
teams will build about one mile a
month where grubbing is heavy,
can do more where the roads are
are wide enough without heavy
grubbing."
There we find that Nottoway ;
county, Ya.. is building 1 mile
per month of sand-clay roads
with 24 hands and 24 horses, i
Putting the cost of the hands i
at 51.25 per day we get S7BO. i
The cost of the horses at SI.OO
per day which is S>34, we make i
the total expense of building 1j
mile of sand-clay road in Ya. i
$1414.
It is said that most of the
counties engaged in building j
good roads are paying for them !
by bond issues.
Mr. Mc'»ee failed to cite aj
single county that had made!
a failure by the bond issue i
system. Mr. Hardy states in
his article that Nottoway county,
Ya.. made a failure by a system
similar to that proposed by Mr.
McGee. So we draw the con
clusion that the most economical
system is that system which will
give as much permanent roads
as possible.
Mr. McGee says permanent
roads are not possible under either'
system for Meadows township. !
I cite you to counties where they j
fin 1 it not only possible but very'
practical.
In hi> fight against the bond!
is? ue Mr. McGee likes to
magnify the cost of the same.
Let's se-.' if his method of calcu
lating the interest on the bonds is
altogether fair. He makes his
calculation on the supposition
that in the beginning of road
work, the bonds will all be sold
and that we will have to com
mence to pay interest from the
beginning on the whole $40,"00;
then he proceeds to divide the
$40,000 by 30 years, giving only
| 51333 1-3 per year for road use.
Tell us, Mr. McGee, why you
. would dribble it out to us in
1 31333 1-3 installment and have
us paying $2,400 per year in
terest. I figure that the interest
on $1333 1-3 at 6 per cent for one
year is only SBO. If we are to
have only $1333 1-3 per year,
then after 15 years we can
easily buy half the bonds and
have enough to retire what we
have sold with the sinking
fund provided by the road bill.
It seems to me that it would be
just as foolish to sell $40,000
worth of bonds when we com
mence work and only spend
51333 1-3 of it per year and payi
82400 interest, as it would be
THE 1/aNBLRY REPORTER
to collect, under Mr. McGee'-
plan, the whole $84,747,63 tj
be losing the interest on it and
only spend 82524.92 per year for
road work.
In order to magnify the cost.
Mr. MctJee has us building ft
miles of MACADAM roads, which
he says will cost $5,090 per miie
I have not heard of any om
who favors the bonds proposins
to build macadam roads in
Meadows township. The road
bill does n>: authorize the build
ing of macadam roads. So Mr.
McGee. you need not try t«i
scare somebody by piling up
*>oo,ooo for macadam roads in
i Meadows.
Is the gentleman sure that we
have (50 miles of public roads in
Meadows township? I remember
that he told me that there were
about -0 miles of the 2 main
roads leading from German ton
toward Dun bury. I can't figure
out where the other 4i milesare.
in fact I can't figure much over
I*l miles at all.
; Now in view of the fact tiiat oth
er counties are building sand-clay
roads for a cost of from *SOO to
j $1,500 per mile, it looks reason
able to suppose that Meadows
township could build as much
as 15 or 20 miles of permanent
roads and make the remainder
reasonably good with the *4O, -
(XX>.
If Mr. McGee is heartily in
favor of the plan which he has
suggested why did he wait till
this date to present it to the
people?
Some time before the bill was
passed by the Legislature Mr.
McGee and 1 were talking over the
matter and he made the remark
that if the bill had been drawn so
that Meadows township could
work the roads by direct tax.
he would have supported it and
said that it could still be done,
that the bill could yet be amend
ed. I told him to draw up his
amendment, and call a meeting
of the citizens of the township:
that if his amendment proved to
be more popular than the original
bill I would support it: that I
preferred the bonds, but I want
ed something that would go
through. Did Mr. McGee call
that meeting? Not much. Does
the gentleman want either sys
tem? Draw your own conclusion.
Should the bonds be voted
Mr. McGee fears an exodus.
According to statistics from
1900 to 1910 the population of
Stokes county only increased
185. Where are our people all
going? They are going to those
counties where they are not
afraid to sell bonds for public
improvement. He also fears
that we are going to be slaves.
Let me remind him that we
fellows who have been shoveling
mud under the present road sys
tem feel very much like slaves.
Now, dear readers, 1 have stated
facts to you as I see them. Go to
the polls with an unbiased mind,
resolve to vote your honest sen
timent, and for the best interest
of your community, regardless of
whoever it mav please.
W. R. I'ETREE.
Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Blair, of
Sandy Ridge, spent Saturday
and Sunday here with Mr. R. H.
R. Blair and family.
The Cause of R uumatism.
Stomach troumble, lazy liver
and deranged kidneys are the
cause of rheumatism. Get your
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bowles in healthy condition by
taking Electric Bitters, and you
will not be troubled with the
pains of rheumatism. Charles
B. Allen, a school principal,
Sylvania, Ga.. who suffered in
describable tortue from rheuma
tism, liver and stomach trouble
and diseased kidneys, writes:
"All remedies failed until I used
Electric Bitters, but four bottles
of this wonderful remedy cured
me completely." Maybe your
rheumatic pains comle from
stomach, liver and kidney
troubles. Electric Bitters will
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SI.OO. Recommended by all
Dealers.
A CERTAIN MAN.
d Good Roads Man Says He Is
r Road Free and Rides
Around In a Rubber Tired
,» Bu&n Over Roads That
n He Pavs Not a Cent To
Keep Up.
1 Editor Reporter :
C We have a few men in our
neighborhood who are opposed to
I the road bond issue but most of
them are made so by listening to
«carv tales told by certain men.
One of our wealthiest neighbor-* is
hot against the roads, but what
is bad for him is not always bad
for all of us. He is doing
all in his power to get his
neigh bors t» vote against
the road bond issue but I iust
? t
j want to call the voters attention
to one thing. He is like they
said Mr. Oliver was, he is road
free and well off. He don't
have to work the roads and thev
r
don't cost him one cent. His
neighbors nearly all have to
work the road »> days in the year j
and he rides over them in a 1
rubber tired buggy to Danbury
every first Monday and sees!
whether they do it right or not.
I He has an easy time driving
around in that rubber-tired buggy
he keeps and he has good proper
ty and don't have to work like
his neighbors and most of them
are not able to own an iron tired
' buggy much less a rubber tired
buggy, but still he wants them
to keep on working the roads
and him not pay a cent nor work
a lick. Now, I call on all his
neighbors if this is not the whole
truth. No wonder he is well
i satisfied with it like it is, when
1 ; he can sit around and ride
around in a rubber tired buggy
and all his neighbors have to
work the road and he. a wealthy 1
man, don't pay a cent nor work
a lick. The poor farmer has
always been down and he never
can rally till he acts on his judg
ment and stops listening to the
arguments put up by the man
who is saving himself all the
time.
GOOD ROADS.
I
| King.
j King Route 2, March 17. •
: This section was visited on March
14th, by one the most violent
down-pours of rain that has beenj
for many years. The land was
washed, and damaged very
much. Plant beds were washed
some and totally ruined, cloth
and all. Bottom land was wash
jed considerably, soma report
being damaged 4 to 5 hundred
dollars. The Little Yadkin was
supposed by the oldest men to
the highest for twenty years,
washing away bridges, foot
I I logs and rendering lots of fords
' impassable for several days.
It seems that the 14th is a very
unlucky day. Twelve months
: ago on the 14 of March the shoot
-1 ing recurred at the Hillsvilie.
Va.. court house, one month
later, the 14th of April, the
! Titanic was sunk, and on the
j. llth of May this section was
; visittd by a severe wash-out.
' i Would like for some one to
note the happening on the 14th
> for this year.
Mr. T. H. Hamm has accepted
a position with the Southern
■ Express Co. at Greensboro.
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RICHMOND • VIRGINIA
WHERE WAS MR. OLIVER V "*
A Remarkable Sight Near King
Paying the Mud Tax.
Kins, March !:•.
IM it urn lie|iortcr :
I saw a remarkable sijrlit near the
Kins; Fair • •ronml a few day* a«o.
A w.ijroii ltailed with a sawmill
carriajre. which weluhed probably
not over l,."iun pounds. was stuck
fast in the mud. the hind wheels
lieiiis; sunk to the axles. Four
millets and four steers were hitehed
tu the wajron. and they imlled and
tlliryred long and Ila iiifiill v. while
twelve men beat anil ensued the
animals, hut tlie.v could not move
the load.
What does Mr. Oliver think of
this.
• iOOI) ItOADS MAN.
The people of Mt. Airy Town
ship will vote on the 17th day
of April, next, on the question
of issuing SBO,OOO bonds for
good roads in Mount Airy
Township.
I
Chronic Stomach Trouble Cured
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R. h. R. BLAIR, - - DAN BURY, N. C.
Two years ago, at Melville, 1
on the farm of Mr. R. \V. Scott, I
Haw River, N. C., I saw as tine i
(unintentional) a demonstration •
! in corn raising as vou will ever see *
IHe had a negro tenant, whom. 5
he said he had to gi /e a corn '
; crop, and let him work it his '
own way, in order to command 1
his labir for the balance of the '
year. He worked 15 acres in
corn—in the old way—plowing
.with one-horse plow—chopping
with hoe—having help from his
wife and son. Mr. Scott's 14-
! year-old son worked 2.35 acres
right adjoining-c'ivided only f
I by a farm road. 1 his boy did I
1 his full quota of chores around '
the house: (milking five cows :
•and feeding about 40 hogs) and
jdid all the work on his corn
j broke his ground early, subsoiled
'it, used a corn planter, and
double cultivator. Both had an
unlimited supply of stable ma
nure. The tenant made 201
, bushels on his 15 acres. The
j boy made 20G bushels on his 2.35
i acres.
X. X.
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