The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-06-09
OUR PUBLIC ROADS.

cation from a citizen of Stokes county
on the condition of some Of the roads
leading into WINSTON and Salem,
which suggests some reflections on
the road question. Good country
roads r almosA as essential to the
prosperity of d town as railroads are,
and not only to Me prosperity of a
town, but to the prosperity Of the
country as well. Farmers go as sell
dom as possible to towns when they
have to pull over wretched roads
and wear the life out Of their teams
getting there, and go only when ne
cessity compels them to 60, whereas
if they had good roads they would
60 frequently. They would raise
more to bring to market, they would
sell more, and be able to buy more.
The truth of these assertions is too
apparent to need argument or illus
tration to make it more SO. 1t is a
fact that for much of the year, ifnot
most Of it, the country roads in
North Carolina are in a disgustingly
wretched condition. Some of them
are "worked," after a fashion, and
some of them are entirely ignored.
None Of them are what they ought
to be, which arises from the fact
that there is no system, nor anything
approaching a system of working and
keeping them in good condition, and
while the present want of system
prevails we cannot have and need
not expect good roads. The State
as we'll as the county, and town and
township should take an interest in
this matter, for the State, as we'll as
the county, town and township is
benefited by good roads and injured
by bad ones, which retard industry
and check development.
The State should establish a stand
I'D gauge for all main roadS and
re luire conformity to that gauge.
There are twelve hundred cenvicts
or more on the roll of the peniten-
tiary, a portion of whom are en-
ployed in building railroads for cor
porations, which get their services
at a nominal price; some are en-
ployed in draining swamps, which
swamps, when drained, are sold at a
nominal price while others are hired
out to individuals or companies to
work in factories or on farms and
thus come into conn ct ton with
honest laborers who have to strug-
gle at best to support themselves
and families. This is the very worst
use that they could be put to. The
State has no right to run opposition
to and destroy honest labor by put
ting convict labor, directly or indi-
rectly, in competition with it. Hun
dreds of these convicts have been
for years employed in building rail
roads, and more recently in drain
ing swamps. This is not so bad, for
these works do good. in developing
the Of the State and in
reclaiming the waste places. But
the time has come when the rail
road builders are pretty we'll able to
take care Of themselves, and it is
time that the State should begin to
turn its attention to the highways
of travel which carry the products
Of the farm from the farm to the
town and to the railroad, and a sys-
tenn be established which would in
time give every county good roads
leading to the central market
points. In the first place every
county should have exclusive control
of it's w criminals, Except the des-
perate CLASSY who should be put upon
the roads and kept constantly en-
ployed upon them under competent
supervision. With a comparatively
small force Of these convicts, and
road grading machines, such as are
now made and sold at moderate
prices, any ordinary road in a county
could be put in fine condition and
kept SO at a small cost to the coun-
ty. When it is necessary to do heavy
work or much of it, the county
should be authorized to draw on the
State for as many convicts as it could
employ and these convicts should be
furnished gratis, on condition that
the road be constructed in conformity
to the standard gauge established by
the State for main turnpikes. With
proper grades, proper drainage, and
the Doggy places bottomed with logs,
brush, or rock when within reach.
it would be an easy matter to keep
the roads in good repair, and they
would cost no more, nor as much as
the present shiftless way of oOino