FREE GRAVEL ROADS.
The bill [S. 98] to provide for the appraisement, purchase and conversion of toll roads into free gravel roads and their maintenance as free roads, was read the third time.
Mr. ANTRIM: This if called an act for the establishment of free gravel reads, but it strikes me that it if- establishing them at a great cost to a portion of the people living along the road. This propose-; that the Gravel Road Companies, when the holders of the stock find that it is not a paying investment, may unload that stock upon the people who live on that road. These people have helped to build the road; they have paid to keep up the road, and it is not fair to force this road upon them after it fails to pay expenses While the road does pay the majority of the stockholders will not agree to give up the road. This bill requires the citizens living within one mile of the road to buy the road for he benefit of the whole County. It is easily seen that poisons living two or more miles from this road will be benefited just as much by making this a free road as person living one-fourth of a mile from this road. There is usually a large number of small property owners living along these roads where tax is merely nominal, and such persons would willingly petition the stockholders to sell the road. Another thing, while this road is in the hands of the stockholders they are compelled to keep it in repair, but when it goes into the hands of the County it becomes everybody's business to keep it in repair and what is everybody's business is nobody's business.
Mr. WILSON, of Marion, declared this a fair bill. There is no compulsion about the matter. If a majority of persons living along the road desire it, it simply gives the right for such persons to purchase this road provided that the majority of the stockholders desire to sell. This is good Democratic doctrine. It gives these people the right to go into Court and have the Court decide whether the estimate placed upon the road is a fair estimate of the real value. Every free gravel road is built upon the principle that, the gentleman from Miami [Mr. Antrim] attacks, and is the principle on which all free gravel roads are built. The law is as fair and reasonable as can be devised for the transferring of gravel toll roads into free gravel roads.
Mr. KESTER could see no danger in buying roads as directed in this bill if the majority of the people living along the road desired to do so, and the majority of the stockholders desire to sell. This bill ought to pass.
Mr STRAUGHAN believed it was almost a demand that same law should be passed allowing these toll roads to be converted into free gravel roads. In his County they had some ninety miles of toll road. The business is being driven from the County seat, because it is completely hedged in by these toll roads, the business going to other points. He was in favor of the passage of the bill.
Mr. MELLETT stated that if he understood the bill right it requires persons living along and, within one mile of the road to pay a Tax in order to buy this road. Now suppose this is a good law will it be appropriated? Will these men who have paid a tax to build the road-will these men buy this road and turn in over to the County as a free gift? It occurred to him that these men would petition these stock holders to sell the road. In the first place these men are taxed to build this road, and no man will say that it is just to tax them again to buy the road.
Mr. THOMAS moved the previous question, which was seconded, by the House and under its operations.
The bill passed the House by yeas, 69; nays, 19
