The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-04-27

what Will ahe Farmes- Ds
About IL?
The NEW DoM1NIoN has been ask
Ing for 10, these many years, what
the farmers Of Monongalia are GO
i-g " do about our wretched public
roads?
After six months OF Information,
In which our farmers have not only
been isolated from mankind, but
have been cut of from business, and
compelled to consume in idleness,
the product of their summers labor,
we think the first question they
(. would want to answer on coming
out OF their holes is, "what are we
going to do with our public roads2
That the solution Of this question
10 the most essential matter to the
future Of this county ought TO be
understood.
That there can be no substantial
degree Of general prosperity in this
county till this question is settled,
is proposition no intelligent far
mer will dispute.
II our public highways through
the county were closed up during
Sthe winter season so that no farmer
could get away from home except by
going through fields and opening
fences, there would be loud com
plant. Yet how much worse would
that be than it is to have the roads
impossible? The difference is that
that the farmers would think that
no roads at all presented condition
that could not be endured, while
they accept impossible roads as a
matter Of c0u rse. But the true and
osly difference between no roads and
impossible roads is the difference
between tweedledum and tweeledee.
1t would probably be more credita-
bic to the county to have no roads;
for to assume to keep up public
roads and allow them to become i'm
passable is more disgraceful than to
have none.
1t is one of the curiosties of civil
ization that people wake up to the
value of good roads only when they
have everything else-that the thing
first in Importance to their advance
ment is the last to receive attention,
ard that they generally contribute
with less heartiness to public roads
than to any other public purpose.
Our people are not singular in
this respect. 1t is universal history.
And the explanation is probably
found in the fact that the most of
The money spent upon public roads
is wasted. There is no substantial
return. The farmer finds that no
matter how large the tax the roads
are the same.
The fault is entirely in defective
system. If the taxpayer were once
rewarded with a public road-even
one example-that was scientifically
made, well rounded, we'll drained,
solid and permanent all the year,
and on which he could trot his horses
from home to town without q break
or a jolt, it would fill him with such
sense of satisfaction and apprecia.
tion that he would open his purse
and empty it willingly in support of
roads like that.
But we can hardly blame popu-
lation for kicking against road taxes
when it never makes roads better;
when there is little scratching, a
little ditching that is washed away
by the first shower; when there is
nobody in charge of the roads who
has any conception of how road
ought to be made, or who would
know good road if he would see it.
To put money into the hands of
these incompetents to be squandered
every year is, indeed, farce.
The question still remains.
what are the farmers going to do
about it?"
This ought not to be hard to de-
termine
Instead of paying out $4,000 a
year to nincompoop supervisors,
give that sum to competent engin-
eer who shall lay out and supervise
the construction and repair of all
the roads in the county. Then
adopt the alternate road law, and
abolish the log-rolling, corn husking
plan now in force
This is all that is necessary to
give us good roads.
Fairmont's Fortune.
n 4 ~