The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-08-04
Our Public

Iject of as mnch thought and labor
+aS any other one thing in our ma.
tional economy. Canals, steam.
boats, railroads, and The like have
been the result Of a worlds study
on this subject, but here in Brad,
ley county, and East Tennessee
in general, we can bring the
question down to more practical
point Of view by thinking of our
condition right here as home. We
have got our railroads, reaching
east and west, and penetrating
southwark and soon will be north
ward, but our common roads that
reach out to the farms of our
country are certainly wretched.
The railroads are all right but the
good they might do us is by far
too nearly oyerbalanced by the
condition Of our public highways.
If our understanding Of our pres
ent road system is correct, we be
lieve the system is entirely per-
nicious, and, however it may be
in the letter, certain it is that
practicallyit is more than useless.
The pathmastership is forced on
some individual by the County
Court, and that person seems to
the inheXibIe and u~naltera-
bic purpose and determination to-
do just as little as the law will
excuse himi in doing, so to keep
out Of the reach Of the Grand
and the result is that the
water continues to run in the
middle ofthe road, the gullies get
and deeper, thehills more
and more impossible, till we
move one side into the field or
forest a little further and the old
road is discarded. This is the his
Of some sections. Others are
bad, but all are bad enough.
costs the farmers four times
what it ought to market their
produce-at least four times as
much.-lt consumes precious
time in untold amounts, and we
should think it would annihilate
all the patience Of the best Of
men. a northern farmer, with
his two horses, will take a load Of
10 to SO bushels and drive twenty
miles to market and back in one
lay. A Tennessee farmer, with
the same load wants four strong
mules and two days time, and in
many sections would not under
the job at all, Is it any
wonder that northern farmersI
prosper more than those here.
They save what we lose, and use
halfthe time to do tin. What is the
reason Of this? Simply that there
is systematic and thor
ough. Every manis taxed accor-
ling to the value ofhis property
as shown by the assessment rolls,
highway the same as for other
purposes, and he can pay the mo-
ney, hire hands, or work out the
tax himself, subject to the calls
Of a special officer, called the
pathmaster, who is elected by the
people Of his road district. Thus
every man pays according to his
property, which is right. fla man
has a big farm, he is the more
benefited by having the highway
in good order and should pay
more tax of course; while the Ia
can work out his poll tax,
and then go on at his regular
business. In this way good roads
can be secured for us here in
Tennessee we think. When a
man pays out his money for road
work, he is careful to have it do
the most good, and his interest is
increased. In most cases the ma
terial is right at hand-good gray
timber, rock, everything-and
if we would take hold Of this and
have it properly before our Leg
stature for enactment, and carry
it out energetically, our farm
and property in general, would
be worth twenty per cent more
than they now are, and it would
be a saving of many, many dol
Let us hear from our farm