The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-12-08
Correspondence.
OUR ROADS.
How They Should be Worked Some
thing about Sassafras.

"A~
in the improvement of Il public
roads. Glad to know that papers
like the Salisbury Wafchman and
Wilmington Star are waking up this
late in the evening sf the 10Th CEN
fury and are realizing that some
thing must be done with u public
roads. 1t Is waste of time to argue
that good roads ARE a benefit to all.
The question is: how are we to get
good roads? The answer is, the
State must make them. How should
the State make them? is the question
Of the hour. AS money represents
labor and as labor makes all things
that can be made by man, therefore,
it is necessary for the State to raise
the money by which our public
roads are made and kept in repair.
There are only three ways by which
the State can raise the money:
LIST. By taxation on labor. ..
End. By taxation on labor and
property.
3rd. By taxation on property.
The first (taX on lahOr) Is the
present mode in North Carolina. 1t
provides for only human labor to
work the roads with and compeIs
said labor to furnish the implements
for working the roads. The over
seers are compelled to be overSeers,
and they only demand of unwilling
labor to do enough to keep them
from the clutches of the law. You
can take a horse to water but you
cannot make him drink" You can
force labor to appear on the roads
SO many days in the year, but you
cannot make roads with this system.
The most ignorant Iaborer under
stands that property is enhanced in
value by good roads, and although
said laborer may live on property
enhanced in value by. good roads
roads made good by his labor, he
knows the land lord can say depart
and he departeth. His work remains,
but he cannot enjoy it. The country
tdbOrers know there is something
wrong in a system that throws the
entire burden of keeping up the
public roads upon them. Property
says ace pay all the other expenses
of the government. Let us see.
There are 10000 country laborers
l., this State liable to road duty.
liable to six days work, valued by
the State at one dollar per day,
making a tax on labor for roads of
S72O,0OO-nearly 500, 600 more than
all the other expenses of the State
government, and yet labor pays a
part OF the expenses that property
claims to pay. Is it any wonder
that this unjust system is a failure?
The second (tax on labor and
property is more fair and efficient
than the first. 1t is the law in force
in Mecklenburg county. Labor re-
cognizing that property is willing to
bear its part of the burden, does
better work than ever before, and
does said work more cheerfully,
because property bears it's part Of
the tax and furnishes material by
which the roads can be improved.
The third (tax on property is the
plan by which the streets in our
towns and cities are made and kept
in repair. While / never expect
to live to see it applied to our
country roads, [ am satisfied it is
the best and cheapest way of keeping
up u public roads. 1t is not worth
arguing a question SO far in the
future. .-.h
, The newspapers that only talk of
the benefits Of good roads remind
me Of a meeting (of farmers) [ once
attended. A committee was appoint
ed to build or rent a hall for said
farmers to meet in. | was appointed
one of the committee. | found no
money was prOuided to build or rent
sad hnU. L resigned. Will not the
newspapers discuss the rag to get the
money to improve our roads? Get
the money and we will have good
roads. | have been o~verseer, and,
with only labor at my command, /
felt. like other overseers, that I was
forced, the labor was forced and the
task of making a good road was
nearly as bad as building the hall
with no means provided referred to
above.
Mr.. G. M. Yoder in an article,
"To eradicate Sassafras,' (PRoGREs-
sIvE FARMER, Nov. 24th) states that
heavy. applications of stable manur
will destroy sassafras. Sassafras
indicates that the soil is deficient in