Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-07-11

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State or Territory in the Union. These
stretch along our valleys, and wind across
our mountain ranges at easy grade, and
though they do not always measure the
shortest distance between points, have been
adopted on account of being the most pracr
tical, and in most cases passable, without
Improvement. These have generally been
in good condition the entire year through,
and during the summer, fall and winter are
remarkably good. But of late YEARS, since
our springs are becoming more ~seasonable,
we find that our roads need improvement to
answer the demands of the country. Spring
is our most important freighting season,
and the country cannot afford to have its
business retarded at this important time for
the amount necessary to put our roads in
such shape us would make them passable
in spring as well as fall hence the necessity
of setting to work in earnest to make them
permanent. There are innumerable creeks
coursing through our valleys which are Or
dinarily never noticed, but which during the
spring rains and the melting of the noun
tain SHOWS become swollen, and are a source
of great annoyance to %freighters, and are
more Or less dangerous, teams not unfre-
quently being drowned. These streams
should all be bridged. The marshy places
which also occur on our valleys should be
drained and the road-bed thrown up and
graveled. The country which expends the
money of its treasury in improving it's high
ways has adopted a course of wisdom, and
is adding a blessing to its people; one for.
which any community cane well afford to
be taxed.
1t is a matter of general Importance to.
every section and every branch of industry,
and one in which every citizen should feel
adeep interest. If our people were as fully
alive upon this subject as they should be,
and would use more effort to keep the roads
we have i'm good condition, we would nave
q much better state of affairs but instead of
the spirit of general interest which should
prevail we have a manifest disposition OF
total Indifference on the part of the majority
as to the public welfare. Farmers cut our
roads with their irrigating bitches and allow
them to become. flooded with the waste
water from their fields, and miners-as a rule
are no more careful, but allow their dumps
to fill the roads with tailings or wash them
away, and suffer them to be cut by the wa
ter from their mines without effort to pre-
vent it or a disposition to repair the damage.
Now, this is bad policy, and not in keeping
with the standard of the best citizenship,
tor a few can tear down far more rapidly
than the public can rebuild. Besides, there
is little use in expanding money upon our
roads if subject only to the whims of human
caprice.
Looking upon this subject from a wise
standpoint, our Territorial Legislature at its
last session passed a very wholesome. law in
the premises, which, if properly enforced,
would, we think, completely cover the
ground. Tossay the least of it, the law
should be rigidly enforced, for if it is oner-
Gus it's enforcement is the only means of Sc
curing its repeal, and if just and equitable
the only manner OF securing it's benefits.
The Act is brief and pointed, and provides
in plain terms that the owners of water
bitches or fumes shall keep the same in re-
pair, and that should the water from. the
same injure any public highway by reason
of negligence on the part of the owner. he
shall be fined in q sum not less than fifty.
dollars nor more than one hundred dollars.
The Act further provides that it shall be
the duty of the road supervisors of the res
pective districts to prosecute all persons vio-
lating the provisions OF this Act, and in case
of the failure of any TO perform such duty