By Danny Crownover
Back in 1899 the voters of Etowah County turned down a proposal to issue $100,000 bonds for building good roads by an overwhelming majority.
At the time many boosters of the city thought that this was a great mistake and that it indicated that the people did not want good highways.
That may have been true in part, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they did not want to pay for roads that could be traveled.
The truth is they were promised very little for their money. They themselves insisted that if the bonds were authorized and bonds issued, the money should be spent in every beat, which meant that it would be wasted.
That is just what happened later when a larger amount of bonds was issued and nothing was done but to grade a few miles of highways. Not a foot of paving was laid. That election was a revealing one. Not a single beat in the county favored bonds. The total vote was 209 for bonds and 1,928 against bonds.
Gadsden voted 9 for and 82 against bonds. Alabama City voted 18 to 14 against and Hokes Bluff voted 105 to 12, while ball play turned up with 38 to 4. Brock’s beat went 69 to 1 against. Cox beat voted 112 to 1 against and hoppers went 7 for and 190 against bonds. Hollis, Reese, Chandler And Short Creek beats did not give a single vote for bonds.
The local newspaper said: “the election was almost a farce. It clearly demonstrates that the people are delighted with bad roads and would not know what to do with good roads.”
They certainly had mighty poor roads all over the county. They tried the old apportionment and overseer plan and the road tax plan and finally tried the one of working county convicts on the roads.
It was not until the advent of the automobile that the people began to see the light. As more automobiles began to run on the highways, or try to run, statesmen and politicians and most citizens began to realize the fact that paved roads could be built by taxing the sale of gasoline.
Through state highways and trunk roads were started and then secondary roads were paved. The result has been that Alabama has done a great deal of paving and is still at it. In due time most of the important highways in the state now have hard surfaces.
Contact The Vagabond at dkcrown@bellsouth.net.
