The Delaware farmer., 1883-10-05
AGRICULTURAL.
DRAWBACKS TO THE PROSPERITY OF
BELAWARE, NO. S.
BAD ROADS.

its topography, or its'geOlOgy IL Is an
evil, born of Ignorance, stupidity and
penuriousness, and is a reprOach tO
the community who permit 1t, for il
is an evidence of carlessness, and un-
thrift. Good roads will never be had
as long as the people cling to the GUS
toms of their fOrefathers. These Gus
toms grew out of the necessities OF the
first settlers of the country, and are in-
cident to all newlya and therefore sparse
ly settled countries, where the poverty
and struggle for life of the Immigrants
does not afford them tue means OF 10
ing more than make their means OF
communication with each other, and
of the transportation of their produce
TO market, more than passable, and to
answer temporary purposes. But when
a State has been long settled, ana has
become thickly populated, all thls
should pass away; permanenG improve
ments should be inauguTated, and car
ried out under laws and methods nee
essary to their establishment. Not TO
dOsO.is tOlay the community in which
the "good old time" customs still exist
under the charge of old Fogyism. In
this respect, much as we like Delaware
and its people, we must say that Della
ware is the Banner state of all the
states we have yet seen, and we have
seen a good many. Very many of the
rood people of the Stale have no doubt
read Washington IrvIng's delightful
and amusing legend of Rip Van Win
kle. or seen Mr.. Jefferson in his inim-
liable representation of the title role
in the play of that name. Did it new
er strike YOU, good reader, that Irving
with his keen, but genial sarcasm. en-
bodied in Rip Van Wrinkle the char
acteristics of an old fOgy? or, that when
vou saw Mr.. Jefferson interpreting the
character 10 you, and exciting you to
merry laughter al belt, there was feel
ing of pathos and pity in your breast
for the moor old fellow that he was
''holding the mirror up to nature" aud
YOU were laughing at and pitylng
Yourself at tue same time? Yet so IL
was, YOU were laughing at your own
Photographic. If you unwittingly did
laugh at il, do not blame others for
laughing also, and indulging in sym
pathetic feelings of pity for you.
Go to, will you say, you are ridicu-
ling us, and calling us TeprOachful
names. Pardon us, why should you
claim immunity from such things?
Did YOU not come of thrifty ancestors?
Did not the Swedes settle Delaware in
1927? Did not the Dutch get possess
sion of il in 1865, and the English in
1864? Were not these thrifty ancestors?
Have YOU kept up their good name in
this respect? No you have not. When
the English took possession of Della
ware. tile roads in England were
worse than they now are in Delaware.
Now. England has the finest roads of
apv country in the world. There
is scarcely bye-lane in England, Scot
land. or Wales, as bad as the best road
i'm this state. Oh! BOurbOns, you for
Get nothing, and you learn less. You
SDDoint men as rOad-masters or over
seers who know as little about road
making as they do about making a
watch. You compel farmers with |
their men to give several days ell I
forced labor in road making forgetting
that all compulsory labor is begrudg- |
ingIv given. aud shirkingly done. The
farmer spends three years in raising a /
colt at much care and cost, and then |
docks three years of his life aud USE |
fulness by racking him to pieces on |
had roads. He spends more money |
annually with the wheelwright and
harness maker i'm repairing his har-
ness and W wagOns, than it would cost |
him to keep in repair good road IN |
front of his farm, if it was properly |
made The politicians of sll parties
will not pass laws to defend him from |
himself. because he objects to taxation,
and if they did pass laws tending to
Improvement they would lose his vote !
There again friends, do you not see
that all they care for you and yours, is
YOUR vote. They will pay you twenty |
Of thirty dollars for it on pinch; but /
would see you in-we must refrain
from mentioning the place or we
might offend ears pOlite-before they
would give you quarter OF a dollar 10
improve your roads.
We saw 1t stated in some of the
newspapers last winter, as matter OF
self GENERALIZATION, that the State of
was out of debt, and had Ov-
or $40. .OnO of surplus money in the State
treasury. Alas! it was far from being
a matter of congratulatiOn; as well
might YOU congratulate misel on bis
wealth. for what good is he to the
world. Are your schools so well man
aged that they do not require any
more money expended IN their I'M
ARE YOUR ROADS so EX-
rFIT,ENT THAT THEY CAN NOT BE I'M
PROVED? Are your iails. almshsuses,
Iunatic asylums, and hospitals, so far
ahead of The rest of the world, that
thew are examples of admirable man
apement for them to pattern after! Is
vour State so perfected that nothing
more can be done for it? You know
better: and all this talk of so called
thriftiness is based upon-to express 1t
No, Messieurs Rip Van Wrinkles,
wake up, it's sunrise with your sister
states. Don't be sitting up in. bed'ru6-
|, - = -. 400 nnd telling the world