Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-01-11
ROUGH ROADS.
OF the Illinois State Road Association t.
Determine How to Make Then Better.

Meeting OF the Illinois State Road Association to
Determine How to Make The. Better.
CHICAGO, Dec. 29.-The Executive
Committee of the Permanent State Road
Association met at the Grand Pacific
yesterday morning, William Boss in the
chair, and the following members pres
emit: L. I. Dickson, j. j. Mcdonald, |
Mt. Sterling; Abram Sherwood, Halls
burg; James Mcnamara, Freeport; |
Prof. WEIGH, Chicago; Sam. Douglass,
Monmouth; Peter Heintz. Carlinville; |
John McAdams. Quincy; HI. w. Wag-
goner, Decatur; and +. z. Antle, Peters
burg.
Mayor Crook, of Springfield, who had
in hand the preparation Of = bill on the
subject of roads, was not present, so
Phocion Howard WAS called on to report
VIVA HAD BEEN DONE.
MIR Howard said he had received let
ters from sixty out of the 102 counties
in the State, prominent men in all walks
Of life asking to be enrolled as members
of this association. lows had sent q
delegate, as she also wanted roads.
Letters had also been received from In
diana and Wisconsin, the movement
meeting with general appreciation
not in Illinois but throughout the North
west. The cause was a good one, and
there was no doubt something would be
accomplished at the approaching session
Of the Legislature. The reason why
the question Of roads was being agitated
so industriously now was that the Gen.
eral Assembly met biennially, and un-
less something was done at the coming
session the people would have to endure
the mud and bad roads TIVE years
longer.
MIR. X. X. Jones, of Quincy, the 'sor-
ignal road reformer," said he was very
glad to see the ball was in motion, and
that he believed the organization could
do good. But its work would be slow.
The question was a great one. and the
country people would take hold when
educated to it. In making q law, the
great difficulty would be to get one that
would not tempered with two years
hence. 1t should be permanent, NO
matter how bad it was. Overseers and
Commissioners of Highways were .the
best steals in the State for their size"
Mi. McAdam said the law should be
fire-proof, as it would have t pass
through a furnace. A great many men
went to the legislature whose highest
ambition was to inject something into
the road law. Something must be en-
acted which would not be amended.
MIR Howard said Mayor Cook had
taken the Ohio and Indiana road laws
as a basis for his bill. The question
was whether they should do this or
strike out originally-start out with the
idea that Illinois had no law and no
roads. but plenty of money to spendp
SHOULD BONDS BE ISSUED OR PROPERTY
TAXED
to build roads? The committee should
decide whether it would commit itself
to a local tax, issuing bonds. or a State
appropriation to be expended by the
counties. There have been no roads in
the State for forty years. Money should
first be provided for, and then an intel
hgent expenditure of it. The present
law was absurd on its face.
MI. McAdam was in favor of an orig
inal bill for permanent roads endepen-
dent of the common road law, since it
was less liable to be changed every two
years.
Mr. Jones gave his ideas as to the kind
of law needed. The overseer question
should be abolished, the Commissioners
of Highways let contracts, and the work
be paid for as it was done. He was not
in favor of issuing bonds. The Com
missioners should have no interest, di-
rect or Indirect, in = contract, and the
dividing OF townships should be for
hidden. There should be a Superin-
tendent not of their W number; the
Commissioners should be required to
report to the Auditor, and required to
make at least one mile of road q wear
in such township. The common road
law could be amended to this effect, but
it would perhaps be better to have a
new law. There were too many road
officers now. One man in a county
was enough. If every empty wagon
would stop at a creek whore there was
gravel and fill up a mud hole in front
of a farmers door there would soon
be miles of good road. The Commits
sioners should have the right to take
gravel wherever they found it at a fair
price.
Mr.. Douglas didn't think roads could
be constructed on water. He would tile
drain the beds and put in rock or
gravel.
Mr.. Jones said
THE CONvICTS IN THE PENITENTIARIEs
could be set at work breaking stone.
The railroads would haul it wherever
needed for little or nothing. He had
made good roads out of creek gravel
and mud.
Mr.. Sherman remarked that tax labor
was a farce. The contract system was
far preferable in constructing roads.
The overseer system should be wiped
out, and tho work paid for by taxation
as it was completed.
At the afternoon session the Chair
man said there were $4,000 square miles
in Illinois, or So, SAC, 900 acres. The
building OF a system of roads would
add greatly to the value of the farms.
One gentleman had told hmm $40 an
acre, but if it added only 81 the increase
would be $35, $40, O00.
The Secretary then read
THE I'LL PREPARED BY MAYOR CRooK,
but there were so many objections to its
provisions that Mr.. Howard moved to
recommit it.
The bill provided that gravel and
macadam roads should be constructed
and maintained under the County Board
of Commissioner or Supervisors, who
were to appoint three disintcrested free
holders and a surveyor to lay out the
work, which was to be done, by con-
tract in sections Of one mile and paid
for by assessing the property abutting
and within two miles Of the road.
Senator Dearbon said the getting I'D
of a bill should be left to the Legisla-
ture, whose committees, be was sure,
would prepare u entirely satisfac-
tory. Ii a bill were sent down the
movement would be impeded rather
than advanced.
Mr.. Lewis was opposed to one fea-
ture of the bill. Improvements should
be made on petition Of the people liv-
ing along the roads and not originate
in the Board of County Commissioners
as proposed.
Prof. WEIGH said the farmers should
prepare the kind of q bill they wanted,
and not depend on the wisdom Of the
Legislature.
Senator Dearbon said the question
was, How were the roads to be con-
structed? BY assessing the property.
or by money out Of the State Treasury
He theu went on to answer the ICON
stitutional objections against appro-
priating public money of the State for
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