Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-02-14
ROADS.

The attention of our country
friends is evidently directed to an
increased degree to the subject of
roads. Subscribers seldom come to
our office without urging the matter
upon us, and communications are
arriving every day bearing upon
the subject. Most of these are writ
ten without a view to publication,
which is indeed the case with one
from the Southside, from which we
shall nevertheless make some ex-
tracts, begging our correspondents
pardon for violating his interdict.
If he does not desire to appear in
print, he ought not to write so well
as he does:
"The location of public roads on
the North side through such & level
country is an easy matter, the
grading and metaling being there
the most important part. On the
Southside (Which is my native
land) it is different. Here the loca.
ton is also important. | know of
a dozen instances on our side where
the wagons are drawn up the steep
part of the hill, and then with
locked wheels and the mules strained
to hold the load back, the vehicle
still runs down with accelerated
speed. And if you stand on the
summit of that very hill, you can
trace with your eye natural loca-
ton, entirely overlooked by the
early road-builders, by which the
obstacle can be overcome by half
the animal strength expended on
the present route, and the only
thing necessary to make a good
road is to change the road bed to
this natural location. affirm that
i'm many places over here the roads
are located without any regard to
lhe natural advantages afforded by
the country. Now the metaling
on this side in many places is not
such an item as on the north side,
on account of the firm and stony
consistency of the soil. The location
and the grading are of the first i'm
portance. If some man sees that
the location of a road can be bettered
and attempts it, some contentious
man stops him and throws the mat
ter into the courts, if he considers
himself injured, and there he is
worried out of it. G.. w. r."
The subject of roads in Tennessee
needs in truth something beyond
and above county, district and
neighborhood arrangements it
needs State legislation. We remem-
Der, at Slime when we werea newly
arrived citizen in Tennessee, and |
not of very long standing even as an
American, that Tennessee possessed
an enviable reputation for her
roads, as compared with neighbOr-
ing States. 1t was a saying then
that traveller knew when he got |
to the Kentucky line by the stage
coach plunging off good turnpike
into a mudhOle. This of course ap-
piled to turnpikes only; but the
whole subject of roads needs venti-
lating, and we may as well discuss
both classes at once. 1t is easy
enough to see what is causing de
teriOratiOn in turnpikes. AT the
time they were built the tolls were
sufficient to keep them in repair,
but the railroads took so much
traffic off them that tolls no longer
sufficed for the purpose, and with
out State taxation there are no
means for it. As regards neighbor-
hood roads, we cannot but think
that too much is left to individual
too much yielded to in
dividual Incidence, parsimony or
caprice. Our correspondent shows
how this defect prejudIces even
the direction taken by roads.
But besides this the day is probably
gone in which the rOad-mending
can be done by personal service on
the part of the farmers. This was
quite feasible when every farmer
owned his Iaborers and could put a
few hands on the road without diff
iiculty or serious inconvenience
now that system leads to difficulties
and evasiOns innumerable, and it is,
we believe, indispensable to put the
matter in the hands of county Road
Commissioners, supplied with I
money enough to pay for the work
and not affected with the local inter-
asts and prejudices that paralyze
our present system,
We are glad to see our neighbor
If the Tobacco Leaf taking up this {
natter in earnest. We may differ