Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-04-06
GEORGE 2. MArHEs. EnIro
Change The System.

If any argument was needed to
show the necessity Of radical change in
the syster of road building in this
country this spring will furnish it. For
several weeks business has been at q
standstill owingto the bottomless roads.
Four horses to IN empty wagon was q
common sight Yet even this light load
was found To be quite sufficient before
the end Of the journey was reached.
The present spring has been perhaps a
shade worse than many preceding
ones 50 far a. roads are concerned but
the experience is familiar one. The
blockade may not at other times be 80
long continued but i sure to come.
That civilized community will allow
itself thus to be made prisoners for n
certain portion of the year is ineXplic-
able. The desire to ret to market, the
calls for business; ii nothing more the
feeling that there ought at all times to
be easy and ready means of communi-
cation between all parts of the county,
should arouse the desire for a better
system Of roads
: The only perfect road, as admitted by
all, is the Macadim and the main
thoroughfac, throughout the country
should be constructed on that plan. The
al
sight would appear. Nowork OF public
Importance i, done in day but is the
slow growth Of years. What is needed
is first the disposition and second an or
gauzed plan under which the work
can be pushed forward year after year
until the whole IS completed
But 10 do this there must first be a
radical change in the present system Of
collecting roadtaX Underline statutes
each town can decide for itself how this
~i'l BE- done. Any one who has had any
practical experience with the present
system knows that it i. productive of
nothing but bad roads made worse.
There i, no organization, no concentra-
ted purpose, nothing but desire to get
through with the amount of work allot-
ted rs soon rs possible. Now change
this system, collect the road tax in mon
ey decide upon just what to be done and
how muchis to- be done each year, place
the money in the hands Of Il competent
road oyrrsecr and in less than decade
the county would be traycrsed in every
direction by anetwOrk of good substan-
tial highways which viii be not only a
credit but pleasure to every resident
ofthe county.
II IS by no means necessary that every
foot Of road even ON the main thorough
fares should be macadamizcd There
are portions of the roads where they
travel the ridge which would need but
little attention to keep them in rs good
shape - could be obtained under the
best maeadam system. These portions
need no notice. But in every road dis
trIct there are portions which have be-
come notorious for the difficulty teams
haycm getting through in wet weather.
Commence on these first. Collect the
road tax in solid cash and then after
making the absolutely necessary repairs
needed begin by maeadamizing these
slough holes. In this manner few
road, can be built every year while the
effort will not be felt by the community.
Bl 81 doing a gradually lengthcnng
band of excellent highways will be eX-
tended throughout the county until til,
muddy season" will have lost lis ter,
ror and the farmer can load up and
start for market rs well one day a,
another.
lLisplau is a perfectly feasible one
1t calls for cNtrayagant outlays. or il
fact little il any outlay, beyond tn,
u-ualtaN voted for road purposes Will,
the benefit, rising from the change wher
inauguratcd and properly carried on
would be- almost incalculablc.