Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-03-15
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Public Highway System Needed.

The Dubuque Times contains the fol-
lowing ringing speech, from Hon. John
Scott delivered upon taking his seat as
President of the Iowa Road Association,
at the meeting held in Iowa City re-
Gently, to consider the question of how
to get better county roads:
GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION: AS
has been so well said the road system OF
the country is not up with the progress
of the age in which we live. No coun-
try has made history as this portion OF
America, and amongst other things let
me call your attention TO the facts of
this convention showing where we stand
in regard to locomotion and the purpose
of roads. Within the past thirty-five
years there has been expended in Amer
lea not less than 400 millions of
dollars, between the western boundaries
OF the States and the ocean that bounds
them on the east, not less than 400 mill
lions of dolars-has been expended to
revolutionlze transportation; to place
the country upon the plane upon which
it belongs, in the latter portion of this
to the old method of our fathers who
crossed the Alleghanies on horseback,
and carried their goods upon pack-sad-
dies. In the middle portion of the con-
tinent 200 millions of dollars have been
expended, between the two rivers which
constitute the boundaries of our own
State, 400 millions more have been ex-
pended to enable us to reach the west,
north and south, making thousand
millions of dollars IN all that has been
expended, to facilitate intercourse with
oul neighbors. This intercourse has
its effect upon our social relations, and
even on our domestic relations. Now,
gentlemen, all of that has been done
within a lifetime, even within my life
time. Now, my friends, we are told
that the road system in the Eastern
States, was the same as now years ago.
We are going in the same rut that our
fathers went, Notwithstanding that these
one thousand millions of dollars have
been expended upon the means by which
we communicate with the world and
with each other. This is a matter in
which we have not made any progress.
We have not been equal to the times.
To now change the order of things is a
patriotic duty that we are called upon
to perform. The difference between the
labor of man as an individual and the
labor of man as he works for the state
is partly this: The labor of the man is
Selfish, for he labors for himself and for
his family. The labor of the man who
works for posterity, endures for all time
to come, and is unseliish. In the days
when my friend Mr. Kirkwood was a
boy, and in the land where he was a
boy, the man who had the supervision
of the roads was called path-master,
and the roads were but pridle-paths in
the wilderness, and they were the only
means of locomotion.
Why, my friends, think of it! 1t is
only one hundred and thirty-three years
since this same system necessitated the
use of pack horses. have myself tray
eled through our own hard-timbered
country off. to the southwest, that por-
ton of America that is being bound to
US by iron bands, and have travelled
there when the whole system of COM
MERGE was carried on by pack mules.
How do you suppose they work the
roads? BY the feet of the mules. They
have worn out the solid rock until the
the track has become SO deep that
the rock had to be quarried out; and
on the sides of the mountains they had
to chop out the sides in order to let the
pack down. | have seen that and tes-
tify to what l know. Now. gentlemen,
it seems to me that one of the things we
need to have now is n road system. a
public highway system that shall sup
plement our railroad system. We have
come to the time when we need a new
highway. won't propose to lay down
any system for meeting this great ques-
ton. desire to thank you again for
the honor you have conferred upon me
in transacting this business. can only
d it by your assistance.