The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-07-27
Importance of Roads.

| Wearc not aware that any estimate has
| ever been made of the actual cost of the pub
| lie roads of the United States, or that the ex-
| pense of providing them has ever been at
| tempted by any bureau of statistics, but we
make the roCJ h estimate that they have cost
at least seven hundred million dollars-proba-
| bly, much more-while unknown millions are
annually expended in attempting to keep
them in repair. If the money were only
well applied, it would be an expenditure of
| great profit and economy, as everything
which the farmer does off his own land is
greatly affected by their condition. All his
many loads of surplus farm products are
| drawn over them, and il makes some differ
ence 10 him and to his horses whether those
loadsare conveyed easily over hard, smooth
surfaces, or dragged through mud and against
| stones with severe labor to the team, fatigue
| to the driver, and wear and breakage to the
wagon. Every week he and his family, more
or less, go to the village for numberless err
| rands, or to church on the Sabbath, and the
good or bad condition of the roads seems to
| affect every fibre, pleasantly or unpleasantly,
| OF their feeling or nervous sensations. On
| an average, there is at least twenty miles of
| travelling each week for Remembers of a sin
| gle family. 1T would make difference of
five dollars Il week, everything counted,
whether this teaming and travelling is done
over IL nice comfortable road, or through
mud-holes, slOughs, ruts and unbridged
streams, or against stones. Five dollars II
week amount to $250a year. snug little sum
to tax the farmer with and when this sum is
multiplied by at least five million owners or
drivers OF horses, carriages wagons, heavy
teams, NC, the aggregate cost would be S, me
thing over billion dollars Does any one
say this is too largean estimate? Then pro-
coed in detail and show in what particulars !,
but do not blindly and ignorantly say it is
wrong without careful examination. Sup
pose, however, we admit that it is double the
reality, is not the six hundred millions every
year, expended directly or indirectly by our
people, worthy Of more attention ON the part
OF patriots, statesmen, politicians, Office seek
ers, pubc-spirited men, writers for news
papers, agricultural journalists, and in fact
OF every one who passes over IL road?
So long rs our public highways in most
parts of the country are made and repaired
with SO little interest and so little thought,
we must suffer an enormous loss. We would
like TO ask how many of our readers, who
drive or ridL over the common roads, never
see loose stone, or fixed stone To strike,
jolt and batter every passing Wheel or who
do not see hundreds of them, which might be
removed with the expenditure of small por-
ton Of the road tax? How many never saw
sods and muck scraped into the road-bed, TO
form highway or turnpike" which would
he excellent for corn and potatoes, but which
when worked into II mass of mud, or cut into
ruls foot deep, constitute II strange object
to he called II road" How many never saw
along the roudsidcs, thrifty patches ofthistles,
burdocks, muleins, johnswort, nettles, &c,
NC, ready to seed all the neighbors' fields
Until we can find such happy persons in the
majority, we hope more attention may he
given To correcting these evils, although we
would not lessen the praiseworlhy attention
which is now freely accorded TO enterprise
and interests of almost infinitely less impOr-
lance, but good in their small way.-C0amt,y
Genteman