Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-12-30

portions; as also the streams, with their
bluffs, their rocks and ravines are not so
thickly populated nor are the farmers, SO
prosperous or wealthy and where nature
seems to have made an extra effort to pre-
vent highway travel, until the ingenuity, art
and toll Of man is brought into very liberal
service. We assume il is neither equitable
nor just to require, or even TO expect this
unfortunate class of districts TO repair their
roads, and maintain their impossible condi.
ton, against all these distractions of nature.
aid against the destructive elements of annu-
ally securing storms and floods, without hav-
ing assistance from outside somewhere, The
pleasure and benefit of having good roads
every where, we hold are mutual and we
cannot possibly comprehend why it would
not be equity and justice to make the rcspon-
sibility equal. Farmers are interested and
benefited by a good road over which to
c. rry away gtheir surplus produce and to
return with their necessary supplies.
Merchants and mechanics find their inter-
est, in thus inviting customers, and in their
enlarged circuit of trade and business.
Doctors need such, to expedite a visit 20
some perhaps distressed or dying patient
aud even the sewing machine agents would
ride happily as they wend their way to all as
our homes TO try to make our wemen happy
with good sewing machine companion.
If therefore we have in any manner sne~
succeeded in demonstrating our present law
to be both defective andfa.jast, as well as dss-
tructive OF sound public policy, NAV we
not ask with great interest and with much
candor, where, and in what lies our remedy
Shall we not unite our mutual interest with
our common sense, to answer this question
correctly.
We have often heard it asserted, by men
of the highest character for good judgment
and pactical common sense hat il only one
half the tax we levy and collect each year
we're collected in cash instead OF by labor, -
with judicious expenditure, by hiring able
bodied laborers to work as laborers are re-
quired in other employments that we could
do, and show double the amount of highway
repairs, we have seen under our present sys,
TEN, in any one year for the last 90, and we
most heartily agree with and indorss the
sentiment.
We have prepared an estimate, as a heore.
cal proof of the proposition; to which we
invite your attention.
Preparatory thereto permit Us to repeat
the fact that during the last year we nomin-
ally expended little over $4,000. The one
half of which sam, would net US about 1880
to be nsed and expended under this suggested
theory we are about to offer you.
In order to prepare for the proper and
judcious expenditure of this reduced sum,
we must first presuppose some conditions not
now found, viz that this sum shall be levied
and collected, with our general taxes the
previous year,-this we would require, for
two good reasons to wit, to insure the ready
pay of employees and to save expense in
collection.
Again we must presuppose the town board
clothed with the following powers, viz TO
cancel all road district lines, as at present
established, and to declare the entire town to
be one district shat they also be clothed
with authority to select and appoint ,ne
competent town overseer, having in view his
qualifications as a road engineer. his prac.i-
cal Judgment and his executive ability. This
overseer to pursue the repair of all highways,
by the advice and under the directions of
said board that said overseer shall by said
board be provided with span tf horses
Tor with a yoke of oxen) wagon, pillow,
scraper and other necessary tools for prose-
cutting the work that be also be provided
with corps of say six able bodied men, to
work under his direction and that he be ex-
pecsed to move over the surface and around
the circle Of our highways from the first day
of May in each year to the first day of October
pursuing the repairs first, to put them
in passable condition for travel without
danger to life and limb, after which for the
remainder of the season, let the time be
spent, in making permanent improvements,
not expected to be destroyed by every pass
ing shower.
We further presuppose what we regard as
Al Al.,.k
viz: to the overseer 50 90 per day aud his
colabors 81 so for each day of actual labor
performed we also estimate the actual work
ing DAYS within the five months at say 100
and we are now ready to offer you our table
of estimated expense, as follows.
span horses, wagon, &c, say, .... S325,0O
road plow,... ................... 1000
do scraper,... ...-...............2 90
Sundry other Implements. ...............
overseer 100 days. 10000
la00rers, .9uU,UO
Total expenditure. 81 10000
OF the $3.50 you will discover we have
still unexpended the sum of $3.50 with which
to provide lumber &c. to construc: culverts
&C., you will also note that this is our first
year, and the outlay for team and the neces-
sary implements will need no repetition the
next year-when some 1900 dollars more can
be expended in labor and materials.
Who among us are willing to contradict
the assertion that our first years experiment.
will perform even double the amount of high
way repairs, we have witnessed any year
during the last 20,
Contradict it you may, if contradict it you
aCiH,-and for this purpose we offer the op
portunity. candid comparison of our diff
erent views will certainly do us no harm.
Should any considerable portion Of our
citizens be found in harmony with US upon
this subject, we ask you in behalf of our
common interest, what, under the circum-
stances, is the measure of our duty
Is it in quietly continuing our past farce of
highway repairs-and seek what pleasure
and comfort we can gather from repining aud
complaining as heretofore or shall we
unitedly press the subject upon the attention
of our legislature now about to convene, and
ask that the present law be radically amended
to meet the actual wants OF our State.
We suppose we are prohibited from special
legislation or we should feel inclined to ask
the legislature to pass special act authoriz-
ing the town of Lancaster to try the expert
ment of our suggested amendments for at
least five years
We are however deeply impressed with the
necessity for general law upon this subject
because while we criticise ourselves
specially, we cannot other than regard the
town of Lancaster as a fair sample of most
towns in the county, and in the State at
large.
In submitting these crude suggestions to
the public, we are not sensible of any false
modesty in withholding our real name TO them,
but for the present we desire to be known
and ad dressed as.
RAMPANT H. REFORM,
Box No. 76