Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-07
FlNhlNG THE FARMER.
The Scheme to Name the County
Roads and Number the Houses.
movement that II Gaining In Favor
ana Some ofthe Benefits that Deri ve
from it--.One Business Mans TX
perience.

What was 4 very mild crusade has been
gradually gaining strength recently to he
end OF having the country roads and
numbering the farm houses in pursuance
OF the plan as heretofore described 10 The
ARGUS. which is adopted and carried out
IN the streets of the CITY.
1t requires very little argument to con-
vince the most skeptical of the feasibility
OF the scheme. The man of even infer
ior ability in the way of clutching a new
idea easily retains this one, and once
turning 1t over convinces him that he has
got something good.
You fellows who are always prumb
ling because the city streets are not
named and the houses numbered With
good plain placsrds, ought to put an
other string to your bow, and advo cate
the naming of all country roads and lanes
and the posting of each mans name in
front OF the house he occupies"
1t was Davenport business man who
thus umbosomed himself to q Democrat.
Gazette man, after which prelimiua v he
proceeded to tell why he thought o. as
follows:
lie drove out of town on the Jersey
Ridge road in the fresh of the morniu Q
Saturday to hunt up farmer whom he
wanted TO see on business. The farmer
had failed to respond to Que or two invi-
tstiOns TO call and see him, and he bad
taken the dilemma by the horns and gone
out to him up.
And l tell you right now" said he,
that ] wouldn't do it again for twice
what got out of it,"
1t was moving tale he told, OF perils
oft by field and flood, how he drove for
miles on one road when he should have
driven in the opposite direction on
another, how he inquired of four men
who didn't know the man and of one who
knew him but didn'; know where he
lived. of another one who gave HIN direc>
tons that got him lost in the woods and
how he finally found his way ous. He
told how he let down bars and let out the
hogs while he WAS leading bis horse
through. and how he chased the hogs
devil and that he had the loan of him for
about ten minutes in the shape O. big
dog. He told how he went throu Oh one
of these old fashioned wooden~hinge
gates. with end posts like those of an an.
cient bedstead, how il fell down when he
hsd it half opened and scared his horse,
and how he had to wait fifteen minutes
until man came along with load of
potatoes and helped him put il up again
Then he told how he followed a i'm trail
across pasture lot aud how he took
wood road down hill sleeper than to-
boggan slide aud dumsite rougher.
After this he fought his way, AT inch at
n time. through a Gordon of coon dogs
up to the door of cabin, where he learned
from a woman that the nearest W ~ to the
place where be was going was TO 90 back
TO that same gate again and then Ter
the wagon road about half mic furder
ontell he came to another gate Jest like
it, 1t WAS nailed up and he would have
to let down the fence to get thro ugh.
Carefully concesliDg his emotions be
obeyed instructions. reached the gate in
question, tore down three panels of fence
TO get room for one narrow track buggy,
laid them up again in a way that a farm.
er would be lynched for limits tiug, got
clear to the other side Of the Id, which
had been newly plowed, only To ind
barrier Of four barbed wires and bottom
board rising before him. The fence was
pig tight. There was no room for argu>
ment and words were useless Sundry
and divers other adventures ensued. in
the course Of which he sprusg wheel
and ripped his rsiment clear Up to the
neck, with more cookie burrs and Span
ish needle and beggar lice than yen could
raise on four>scre lot, but which would
prove tedious, dull, stale and Improbable
in the narratstiOn. His wanierings in
the wilderness were prolonged. with va
Tiations, until the middle of the after
noon, when he landed in the presence of
the brother of the man he war ted. From
him he learned that the fellow he was AZ
ter had lived out thst-sway but had
moved, about SIX months before, onto
place about four miles from town. When
be found it at last be recognized 1t as
one that he had passed in the first blush
Of the morning. when hope was fresh
within him.
Viewed from this standpoint it would
seem to be wise thing TO follow his
suggestion, and name the country high
ways and number the houses