The Ottawa free trader., 1882-04-01
publican press of the county generally "sits
down on" the movement
lkOa(lA.

Roads.
Here is the way the mud embargo acts at Men,
dota, according to the Bulletin:
The roads have been horrible for the past few
weeks, and 1t will take several days OF sunshine
to bring them TO fit condition for comfortable
travelling B. Green, the milkman, was COM
PEELED to carry his milk on foot one or two days
this week, not being able to get around with
team. A farmer having TO raise money TO pay
taxes, brought in q load Of corn with eight hors
es, and did well TO get here at all Cavel Il No
Ian, of the Central Meat Market, finding it i'm
possible to drive their wagon between their
saughtcroh house and their meat market rather
than let their customers suffer chartered Il
freight car and transported their meat by rail,
thus running beef train between their yards
and the city.
Probably all OF the other county towns except.
ing Ottawa, La Sale and Peru are in pretty
much the same condition. In the cities named
travel is easy enough within the limits, the diff.
Guilty being that no one could, until day or two
ago, get from outside the limits to the inside.
AS our correspondent, on another page, in a
most interesting article, says, the country (even
the rest Of this town. has been as etfectually
shut out from the city as If the latter were a
walled town at war with the outside world.
The necessity of better roads needs no argu
ment We are glad to see wedge in this mat.
ter is being inserted by Mr.. Lewis in the Deer
Park road matter, mentioned last week. His pro
ject is meeting with cordial support, especially
In the city, The Business Mems Association, on
last Wednesday evening heartily endorsed the
project, and appointed a committee to cooperate
with Mr.. Lewis in furtherlng the project. To re.
pair grade and gravel the road will cost $4,000,
to be raised as follows:
Farm Ridge Observation-Disclosures. 500
Vermlllon. .'..'...'. ...'''''''.'''.'. ooo
Earle ...... Observation-Disclosures. 900
Farmers along the ,nain road ............ 1000
Ottawa ...,............. ..............,.'. l,-oo
The road taps one of the richestsection of the
county, and runs along the Illinois river to Covl
creek, thence south by west to Deer Park, with
branches to Farm Ridge, Vermilion, Eagle and
Eden townships. OF Ottawas amount to be
raised, four subscriptions alone have aggregated
$40. When built the road cannot fail to be an
immense advantage to the country it taps.
At the Business Mems Association on Wednes
day was also discussed the matter of the Ottawa
town roads. With all the money spent on them
they show very little for 1t. The money has been
used, and the work it paid for done; but the
main trouble is there has been during all the his
tory os town road making no system for eXpend-
ing the money. The money has been spread over
too much territory. 1t should be concentrated.
Let some one road be taken, and all the money
necessary to make ita good road, solid at all sea.
sons, spent there until it is finished, making a
permanent improvement. Then let another be
taken, and SO on until all the town roads are
made solid
This has been the plan at La Sale, and we are
informed that nearly all the roads of that town
to the town lines are solid and will carry loaded
wagon at all seasons of the year. During the
past year the highway commissioners have spent
81, ,3S755, and the street and alley committee as
much more-Sl2, 500 On roads. What is there to
show for it? This sort of thing can 20 on until
hades is as solid as the north pole and the roads
will be as soft as they now are. What is abso
lutey needed Is concentration-a change OF plan.
We are aware the highway commissioners will
be wonderfully annoyed in carrying out such q
plan. II they should begin on the Plank road,
for instance, we are aware those interested in
the route westward might grumble, and oica rer-
sa: but the commissioners should stfien their
backs and begin work in this way and carry Il
out; and when the work Ia finished all classes
will be well satisfied, and a system Of perfect
roads will exist.