Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-09-10
Woodlawn Farmers Club
Reported for the Alexandria Gazette

Reported for the Alexandra Gazette.I
The Woodawr Farmers Club met at the
reeilepce of Lewis Gllingham, September
10, President Psrsop ia the chair. The
pleasant afternoon brought out large com.
pang, rear.y hundred being present,
among them several strangers. The cleo.
tion Of officers deferred from last meeting
resulted as follows: n. w. Pierson, presi'
deui; W. Gilinghem, secretary; John Bal
ieDpe!, treasurer
the club and ladies' society then merged
toto one body TO listen TO paper on the
Improvement of the public roads. The la.
dies now being 10 the habit of driving them.
serves about 80 much, are equally interested
with Tue other s. il that important subject.
Mai w. NJ. KlDg, of the Agricultural De.
psrtneut, ut Washington, then presented
bis views on read making giving extracts
from the Onio road law Good roads are
quite ss important and have as great bear.
ing upon the welfare of the farmer as any
other Que hing in the business economy.
The immediate and thorough conversion of
the leading roads iuto solid wagon ways,
either by meacs of county aid on the two
mile assessment plan In vogue In Ohio
VAS strongly recommended. The con.
dtiou Of the public roads is always an In.
dex of tho thrift and prosperity of any COM
munity This road question is one that has
troubled the farmers Of this section for some
years. With the sparseDess OF the popula.
ZION aud low valuation of much of the land
in the country it seems utterly impossible to
raise more than enough by taxation than is
required to restore the annual wear upon
the roads, SO that year after year goes by
without any substantial improvement.
The past season Of excessive rains
has made them worse than usual
unquestiouably the only solution of the
county road problem is to give taem heroic
treatmeDt-eDough money should be raised
to build coed roads at once. No temporary
policy will make good wagon roads any
more than it will build railroads. The i'm
pogtance ci concert Of action 10 the use Of
broad tired wheels was urged. The senti-
ments of the meeting, as far rs expressed.
wsre 10 accord with Major Kings views.
Judge W. W. Wright, president OF the
Nationalist Club, of Washington. was then
introduced aud explained the objects and
aims of that society, which was TO arouse
the people of this country to the necessity OF
some prompt action to stem the tide OF
abuse growing out OF the competitive system
business of the country, with the view of
makiug cooperation more popular, as fore
shadowed in Edward Bsllamy's book, Look
ing Backward " He said the growing ten
dency, ana that with rapiGiy that WIS
ala mig. was to concentrate the capital of
the country III the bands of the few, resulting
in tie oppression of the mauy. Three
tifhs of all tbs wealth OF this country is now
owued by $4,000 Of our people and the other
60 millions have but two tfths. Unless
something is doue to stop this and that very
soor, the taadful of capitalists will in very
faw years have large part OF what is leit
The condition of things will soon be far
worse than when the revolutionary fathers
Eebelled against the mother country. Then
what next? IL is proposed to call upon
Congress to authorize the District Commis-
siouers TO furnish the citiZ sns of Washington
with gas at cost, jus as the water supply is
furnished. In many branches of busi
ness the people are paying double,
aud more than the cost, FIR necessarios
of life and for different kinds of service,
the surplus going into the hands of the few
instead of remaining with the great body OF
consumers.
Messrs. Lukeus and Mason combatted the
position of Judge Wright, saying it wonld
not do TO destroy competition, that the 600
trne of cooperation as proposed was dan.
gerous one, ard ought to be denounced; but
il does not appear to be the purpose to do
away with healthy competition, only the
abuses thereof This is q matter of grave
importance, and merits careful examina.
tiop.
Courtland Lukens had just returned from
trip to Roanoke city and vicinity, bring
ing with him some very large ears of corn,
also a sampls OF the dark rich looking choc
olate colored soil of that region. When COM
pared with some OF the soil of Fairfax 1t
looked ns though 1t might be high grade
fertil zer; it may have some bearing upon
the sudden and rapid growth of that new
city--about eight years old. with popula
tion of some fifteen thousand. 1t is sug
gested that the corporation of Alexandria
have few car loads of that coil broughta and
spread around the devoted city.
Friend Lukens was impressed with the
energy and activity manifest at Roanoke.
The waterwo-ks are an object of much In.
terest. The place ia supplied With water
from single spring, which is of capacity
sufficient to furnish supply for city sew
eral times as large. The pumps worked BY
an engine of four hundred horse power were
hardly able to effect perceptible diminu-