Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-12-28
I'D McMINNVILLE, TENNESSEE sATURDAY-DEC 49, 1885,
ROADS.

EDITOR STANDARD: People differ
upon all subjects, except roads-all
agree that we should have good roads
and more of them; only differing as
to how to get them. 1t is ut
terly impossible for country to adj
vance in wealth and civilization
without them. The wonder is that
we have done so well with the miser-
able roads we have in this country.
Enough time and money has been
expended on the roads in Warren
county in the past fifty years to have
made all the principal thoroughfares
first class turn pikes-but the roads
are worse now than they have ever
been. | am rejoiced to see the papers
and people speaking out on this vital
ly important question. Let the adj
ministratiOn fix the tariff and the
people mend the roads-with good
roads we can "pay the tariff off and
take it out of politics." But with
poor roads and a high tariff Lord
have mercy on us. / have seen some
suggestions which l think would
greatly facilitate the system of road
mending, but none which comes eX-
actly to my idea. Anything however
will be an improvement on the pres
ent condition of roads and the meth
DDS of making and keeping them {;
and | am in favor of either plan so
far suggested in preference to the
plan (or rather the absence of plan)
existing at present.
The roads will never in my opinion
be kept in good condition by the
public. To have good roads, the max
ing and keeping of them must be a
privdte enterprise. Let the manner of
constructing the road be matter Of
contract between the public and some
reliable and responsible citizen. Tax
the people in money Ontheir property
and assess labor against each poll tax
payer as now provided by law, and
increase it a little if necessary in order
to raise sufficient funds for making
the road as specified in the contract.
Let the job out to the lowest response
BILE bidder and require a bond from
him with good security that the road
shall be built and drained as provid-
ed by law, or by the contract where
the road should be built differently
from the manner prescribed in the
statute on road making. Then lei
the contractor have the time and la
Dor assessed for road purposes and the
money agreed upon to be collected
and paid as now by law provided
The contractor would then be person
dLLy interested in his section Of road
and give it the same personal atten
ton as he does his farm or any othe
private interest.
The trouble about mending roads
in our present system is this-it is no
JOdVS business to attend to the small
repairs after it is worked out" byth,
overseer. The dirt is thrown up ant
rounded to throw the water to tn
bitches on each side-this complete
the job. The next day some on
drives loaded wagon over it,makini
: ruts in the soft dirt so thrown up
A shower comes and fills these rut
with water-each wagon churns tn
water and dirt together deeper an
5 deeper each trip until the thing
impossible. A private citizen havin
!, a contract to keep the road in orde
4 would pass over it every few day
: fill up the holes and ditch off the VIZ
ter. In this way the road would bt
T come firmer each time wagon {
horse passed over it and it would /
i a pleasure to travel it. After yes
: or two-short sections of the roa
y could be metalled and McAdamize
l. and practically finished. This is m
/ idea crudely stated. | trust it wi
@ provoke investigation and improv
e ment. MOUNTAINEER.