The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-02-20
THE STATE AGRICULTURAL
CONTENTION.

THE STATE AGRICULTURAL
CONVENTION.
The farmers convention held in Mad
ison week before last, under the auspices
Of the Wisconsin State Agricultural
Society, was of much interest, and was
fully attended by farmers from all parts
of the state. Monday and Tuesday
were taken up by the routine business
of the State Agricultural Society arrang-
ing its premium list for the next fair and
deciding its policy in regard to allowing
beer TO be sold and gambling concerns
on its grounds. On the questioned adj
hitting these vices, all the members of
the executive board but one, Hon. Gin
ton Rabbit, the secretary, voted against
it. One can judge the interest felt in
the questions of temperance and moral
ity from the fact that President Bascom,
Of the State University, and President
Chaplin, of Beloit College, appeared
before the executive board and argued
the questions, and were aided by the
influence of many prominent citizens.
COUNTRY ROADS.
The farmers convention proper was
opened by the Presidents annual ad-
dress on Tuesday evening. The rest of
the time until Friday noon was occupied
by the reading Of papers and discussions
on the topics presented. The papers
were interesting aid the discussions
were usually of q lively character. Mr..
Ford, of Madison, read a paper entitled
" Country Roads which was of great
interest and Importance. Included III
the paper was record of a scientific
test showing the power required to
move a ton on smooth and level dirt
road. and also the number of tons that
could be moved by the same power on
wooden rail, and, finally, on the iron
rails used on our railroads. The same
power required to move ton on dirt
road would as easily move II tons on
the iron rail. Our country roads were
graphically described made mainly by
blowing on the sides and scraping the
black surface soil into the middle Of the
track, and following this up year after
year, and making 8. smooth, hard track
impossible. The gentleman had taken
tb Q pains to go to the records and learn
the amount of road tax levied in Dane
county, where he lives, for the last ten
years. and it amounts to over SIX hun
bred thousand dollars. He then gave
the number of miles in length of the
main roads and important cross roads
leading to the county seat, and found
they could have been thoroughly mac,
adamised and have money left. On a
good macadamised road q horse can
easily draw load of two or four tons.
The gentleman gave instances and de-
scribed the places in Dane county
where almost impossible mud holes had
existed all summer that could have been
remedied by a few hours labor. Here
ferred to the great roads built in Italy in
the time of Caesar which had been in
use for long centuries, and were yet as
good as ever, and properly commented
on the influence of good roads under a
christian civil cation. Our system of
taxation for the purpose of making COM
mon highways is as faulty as could be
conceived, and our system, or ratherlack
of system, in expanding the tax is a pure
barbarism. 1t costs q farmer more to
get his produce to the. railroad or the
nearest home market in his wagon than
it does to pay even the most exhorbitant
railroad charges. We should have bet
ter roads if those who are elected path
masters had any intelligent ideas of how
to expend the tax to secure the best
results possible. The highest intelli-
gence and the keenest enterprise inthe
district should be drafted into the SER
vice of experimenting the improving
and repairs of the roads. If the same
man were chosen pathmaster year after
year he could develop an intelligent
system for his road district that would
uniformly result in good roads the year
round. This would place on one man
the responsibility for the condition of
the roads in his district, and his nat
ural pride would stimulate him to make
the best possible use of the tax at his
command to secure good roads. He
would see that no one shirked the nav
ment of the tax levied against him. and
that it should be paid in thai kind re-
quired to secure the greatest improve
ment in the road. w. d. Hoard. the
famous dairy editor, hit off one feature
of our road making system in relating
what the Irishman said /" Be iabers.
Whin there's about twinty of us working
out our road tax and five or six of us
sits on the side of the road to discuss
great questions of politics, I'm won
O. thin six" Another speaker thought
that in nine cases out of ten less damage
would be done to the roads if plows and
scrapers were left idle, and the entire
twenty should sit down and talk politics. |
Another speaker said if one-half the tax
now levied were paid in money, and ex-
pended by an intelligent town road COM
mission to work through the whole sum
mer season, it would secure us good
roads, and the farmer could use the
time usually spent in working out his
road tax in killing weeds in bis corn
fields, to his greater profit. Its high
time that a reform should be had in our
road making Legislation can do some
thing for us by providing a better sys-
tenn. But it is slow business securing
proper legislation. We can bring about
some improvement Immediately under
the present laws.
Elect the most intelligent and public
spirited men pathmasters, let them 90
over the roads in their districts and study
thoroughly their condition and needs,
There are certain principles in our road
making which always govern. The
public are entitled to the largest share
possible of the whole four rods width of