Your letter of recent date¹ making inquiry about the Hickory Nut Gap road has been received. We are working with a force of fifty or sixty men grading, and still macadamizing, on this road beyond Mine Hole Gap. At the last meeting of the Board however, we concluded to stop them macadamizing within a week or ten days and proceed to grade the road from the end of the macadam to Hickory Nut Gap before we did anything else to the road. We have divided the camp No. 1 and left Captain Brittain, or will leave him, in charge of about thirty men who will continue this work to completion at the earliest day possible. Our intention is to ask the community through which we are passing, after the grading is completed, to assist in a substantial way in finishing a sand clay road. This is all we feel able to do at the present time, and all we can do, unless the people of the County through the public press, or by other, means make known their desire that we shall issue bonds or in some other way secure means to continue the public improvements in this County.

I thank you Governor for your kinds words and encouragement and will say that since I have been a Commissioner, I have found the way pretty rough, but more and more as the days go by, I am having friendly hands on my shoulder and kind expressions of sympathy and appreciation extended me by the substantial, progressive, intelligent business men of this city and County. The kind of men Governor who are lining up and getting behind me strengthing me are the ones whose good opinion and sympathy I have always coveted.

I am trying to give Buncombe County a economical and buisnesslike administration and I believe from the way the press and the best people have recently begun to talk to me that I have been building better than I knew. Heretofore I have had some little trouble in allaying certain small jealosies, and engendering feelings of kindness and co-operation among my associates, and think now that we will have smoother sailing in future. I intend to preserve party harmony at all hazards and shall make any reasonable sacrifice to achieve such results.

We never did have the pleasure of hearing your address, promised me, in behalf of Good roads for Buncombe County, I trust yet you may find it convenient to address us along these lines.

We expect to keep Buncombe well to the front along all lines of Public improvement and Civic betterment. Assuring you of my appreciation of your letter and hoping to hear from you frequently, I am, etc.,