The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-03-03
Good Roads.

When ii comes down 10 real hard
pan the old Romans took the whole
cake and bakery. The school boyfancies
they were nation of warriors fight
ing for fame; aud he Is mistaken as the
school boy usually is. The old fell
lows set out to conquer the whole
world, and they didn't make much
of botch of the job. But what was
singular about them and which lets n
chunck of light as big as bed
on their secret motives is,that
they always skipped poor countries
and only walloped the nations which
were rich and tlourishing. They con-
quered the world to make something
out of it, so as to turn the trade and
riches of the world Romeward
Talk abont looking out for No. one,
and ntilitarianism and get-iip-aud-get
the old Romans could have given a
nineteenth century man hundred
points on that racket and beat him.
They were sharp, shrcwd fellows, ard
as soon as they had licked a nation
they tried to make the conquered ma
ton love them and trade with them,
and they succeeded in that even bet
ter than in fighting, aud the wealth of
the world was voluntarily poured
into Rome and Roman towns till
every Roman got fat and saucy,
and in better fix than the
son-in.law of plumber. How
did they do it? What is the
use of telling: This nineteenth cen
fury thinks itself so smart that 1t can
learn nothing from those old nations.
But it is badly fooled. The old
Romans knew more good tricks in an
hour than we know in six. This is
the way: As soon as they had built a
town in new place they built a
church so big and fine and grand that
the natives flooked to it. They built Il
splendid opera-housc la Garland
and a gorgeous race-track a la John
son. They made their towns attract
i've, you bet, and all the countr,
Cousins came to see and have a goo,
time, and dropped their shekcls, o
course, into Roman pockets. Blu
those were only matters of course
mere triflcs that any Roman chill,
knew as the a. b.. C. of successful trade
They had one great trick that never
failed to bring trade to Roman towns
and they worked it for all it wa
worth. II conquered ten thousanC
times more and better than the sol
diers. Listen; il is the whole kerne
of Roman history in four words
'They built good roads, They bull
'themevery where. Roads, no matter
long and allleading to Roman town s
and such roads ! Smooth as bald
head, straight as crow flies, solid a
Jay Gould, some of them, many o
them, in fact, exist to this day. They
didn't plough mp the side of the roat
and chuck the dirt in the middle, bu
made them so solid and durable ant
cosy that an old crow bait would tr.
to run away when he got on one
The consequence was that the native
couldn't keep from going to l.omsl
town. An old fellow who had spent nj
night cursing the Romans would star
out heading right away from Roman
town, cross a Roman road, and pres
emily his horses head was turned il
spite OF him. In muddy weather tn
Roman towns got all tho trade, an,
people got 20 going to Roman town
in spite of themselves till they foun'
out what good fellows their conquer
Ors were, and then they had them
Talk about the Caesars, old Julius wa
all right, but Roman roads did NOR
for the Romans than thousan'
Caesars and Mark Antonies. Their
is only one nation since that has eve
tried the old Roman trick, and thougl
not playing it half as well, Englan'
has made good hit by it in new
countries. There is something be
witching about good road. Mel
glide INTO 1t from pure laziness. 4
town with good roads leading
into it viii bankrupt 9th
err towns with poor road
quicker than jay Gould can scoop NJ
harangue. and II is A nickel-platet