Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-12-28
r Q DADS S,


OF all things that all mankind are in
teres.ed in, that all neglect the most, ou
common country roads take the lead
The condition Of the largest proportion 0
them would be far more appropriate to th
year, 1855 than 1855. We might nucl
more appropriately look for such a sta''
Of internal improvements in the interio
of Africa than in civilized country lik,
the United States.
Among the people in this country, onl,
the builders of railroads seem. to under
stand what are the requisites of goot
road. A good wagon road is level ,smootl
and hard To make road straight in 4;
hilly country is folly. 1t is just as fal
over hill as it is around it. During a few
weeks in the Summers when the growing
crops and the harvests demand the time
and attention of every man that can be
spared from other employments. locomo.
tion is possible, and in some cases easy,
upon our country roads; but when produce
is ready for market, or leisure invites us
to journey, "the 'rqy is hedged up" An
"embargo" is laid on all internal commerce
Upon the best of our common country
roads an average load for two horses is
forty bushels of wheat. What if they
were improved, as they might well be, so
that the same team wonld haul with the
same ease one hundred bushels? Could
the 'cutest guessing Yankee, or reckoning
Tennesseean, tell how many millions of
dollars tia. would annually save to the
wheat-growers-since all that is grown is
carrledin wagons an average rur,vo,
and much the largest portion Of it at much
less than forty bushels to the load?
1t has been repeatedly proved that one
horse can draw more on a smooth level
road than ffty horses can draw on our
common roads.
We know of roads much used that are
nearly level nine tenths of the way, while
the other tenth may be a hill that could
be graded or passed around with less ex-
pense then the cost of hauling over it one
year; or piece of swampy land that in
terveLts renders the other ten miles of
good road Of but little practical advantage
to the traveller.
The CO sequence is, that because the
WAGNER can lot haul full load over the
hill or swamp, he goes only one quarter
loaded over the whole length of the route.
This is not the loss of only single
team, or even single year to all. 1t sa
loss to generation after generation, century
after century.
There are many, many ten-mile spaces
passed over near cities, at an average loss
of one hundred dollars day-s35, 900
year. In leveling hills, there is one sat-
isfaction-they never rise again-once
done they are done for ever.
But we never shall have any better
roads while the present system Of road
working prevails, Of which it is impossi-
bic to think of anything more perfectly.ri-
diculous, more futile, more uneconomical.
There is not road district in America
that owns proper set Of tools for road
making; and if there were it could not
employ them to any advantage, because
the path-master, or overseer and director
of the work, is often elected to that office
because he will not be exacting upon ev-
cry man to pay his quota of work as
road-tax. The time spent on the road is
generally valuable to the farmer, for it is
usually called for in the Spring, but it is
not on average worth five cents day to
the road. Ii is one Of the m ost vital ques-
tions before the American farmers wheth-
er they shall continue the present system
Of making and repairing roads, and use
bad ones for another century.
II is time that our road laws in all the
States were changed aud the roads improy-
cd. The system that is bad and keeps
bad is n disgrace TO the intelligence of the
age. The whole system of road-taxing
and roadworking needs reforming.
1t is a duty that should be performed by
Congress,to appoint commission to gath.
or facts upon road making all over this
country, which would show the vast num-
Der OF millions Of d3lars lost and wasted
In mixing and using bad roads. This
might awAAen people to the truth that the
soad-taK is the most bur.hensome ia. eyer
paia IN any country,
Let every State Legislature take this
su''ecs IN hand this Winter, and if moth.
ing more, take steps to elici. facts in 70
gesc 70 our common Country ,oaas.-N
T. Tribune. -H'