The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-12-22
COUNTY ROADS.

city and county of Dallas can en-
gage which will develop the trade of
the one, and the productions of the
other, more rapidly, surely and cheaply
thar that of maeadamizing, or other
character OF improvements upon the.
county roads leading into the city An
extensive system of improvements
should be at once inaugurated. Nor
should it be confined to three or four
important and mainly used roads, but
it should extend to every public road
IN all directions within the county.
The present seasons experience dem>
onstrates most clearly aud conclu.
sivtly the tremendous Importance of
these roads IL matters not if they are
DISTRACTED by the depth OF the mud or
by the volume of water in the streams,
or other impediments, the result is the
same. The farmer remains in inglo>
rious inactivity at home. while the
merchant sits idly in his store,
and prays for sunshine as
the only relief possible Now
trustful reliance upon the Deity is
all right so far as it goes, but We must
rely altogether upon our own efforts
assisted by the county commissioners,
to furnish an adequate remedy for the
distress of which we complain.
We do not assume to say 6ose the
remedy shall be applied. nor indeed
what it shall be, but we do say, that
neither Dallas city nor county dare
longer Ignore the evil of impossible
roads. oar rainy season occurs in win
ter, just at the season when cur cotton
and other products are TO be marketed.
The delay oeeasioned by the impossible
roads clogs and otherwise seriously in
terteres with business, and the county
does not recover from the evil conse-
quences until we have what is termed
dry winter. In the case of the city, the
loss is positive and irremediable. Points
which, during good weather. invariably
send their produce to Dallas, send it to
the nearest station and il is whiried
oil to distant market where the sup>
plies are bought which Dallas ought in
every sense to sell How many bales
of cotton were lost to her by reason OF
the bad weather of this winter, no one
can tell exactly, but any one can see
that the number is vast one, and the
influence exerted by this circumstance
has been injurious TO degree almost
beyond belief. Now, then. we appeal
to every intelligent man in the county,
as well as ia the commissioners court,
TO say il there is any other subject
which takes precedence of this. either
in the urgency of the necessity or the
gravity of the interests involved. We
subscribe money and levy tax to build
court houses, gss and water works, rail-
roads, and the like, but ignore this, one
Of the most immediate and pressing
wants of the day. 1t is high time we
should change front on this subject,
and bend every energy to the improves
ment of the highways aud passways of
The comfy. The progress, prosperity and
advancement of every country is sure
iy marked by the condition and chsrac-
ter Of It's highways. From the days of
immortal R1me until the nresent this
subject has engrossed the attention of
the wisest rulers of the people in all
lands. The reat Napoleon, after con-
quering Europe. found nothing ofmore
importance to employ the energies of
France with than in the improvement
of her highways, and to>dsy. among
the proudest monuments to his mem
DRY, are the magnificent roads radia-
| ting from Paris TO every part of his
opce proud empire. So, too. is it with
us. We can employ our energies
in no nobler enterprise. We
can spend money at nothing
else which viii pay a better present
dividend, or which promises more for
the future We trust our citizens and
city and county authorities will look at
the matter in its proper light. and that
energy and a practical application OF
the theory will at once take the place
of cloudy speculation.