Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-22
BETTER ROADS.
The Duty of Every State to Provide
Improved Highways.
What Other States Have Done by Legislative
Enactment - Whole State Should
Bear the Burden.

|
Hartford, Mass, Feb. II, 1890.
Mr.. President and gentlemen The
construction of the public road Is emil
nently matter of the first and highest
Importance to any people.
The first evidence of habitatIon looked
for in a newly discovered land is the
trace of the footprint of human being
whether in the scattered tracks of some
casual explorers who. have gone away
again, OF the beaten paths of those who
have made it their home, and already
have their established settlements with
regular routes between them
Communication between one point and
another is the idea standing first in the
mind of the settler, after that of the
building of his home, and we see the
progress of the idea developing with the
country from the "bIazed line through
the otherwise trackless forest, then the
bride path over the roughly cleared
! way; following this, the gradual stages
of growth of the road proper, from that
| gave rise to the theory of the "survival
| of the fittest,'' because it would kill any
ordinary mortal to ride over it, to Nc
Adams perfected road, and the splen-
did sheet asphalt which it is the privilege
of some of US to enjoy to-day.
The establishment Of communities and
of intercourse between them come before
the formation of government.
A prime function of government is the
protection of the life and property of
the citizen, and 1 maintain that very
high among the duties of general Coy
eminent should come the construction
and maintenance of roads which shall
serve in the best possible way the inter-
ests and welfare of the general public.
1t is an unfortunate fact that our own
general government has thus far taken
little advantage of even that authority
distinctly given it under the constitu-
ton for the construction of post-roads.
Still less has it used its right to go beyond
this in the establishment of national
thoroughfares, which could afford as
good opportunities for military and all
other movements, and would rebound in
all ways to the credit of the country, as
do the magnificent roads of European
countries.
Constituted as our government is, COW
ering the infinite necessities of SO great
and prosperous a country, and neces-
sarily complicated one with its system
of state organizations below it, it can,
perhaps, hardly be expected that every
a,,F~z oh
nor that even now matter which has
had so little attention as this question
which is of Importance TO us, can be
brought before our national congress
with such prompt success as to bring us
within reasonable time such improve
ments as thinking people are demanding
to-day.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
The pressing needs of the country, ana
the increasing demands of the public,
are such that it does seem by all means
desirable to bring 1t up in proper form in
each State, and by legislative acts Sc
cure such provisions and organizations as
shall result in the greatest possible
amount of good.
No small amount of work is already
being done in this direction in several of
our states, and the good results are al
ready making themselves felt in many
directions.
NEW YORK STATE BILL.
A bill has already been introduced in
the New York legislature, relating to
the construction, maintenance and re-
pair of the highways and roads of that
state, and which provides for the Gre
alton of a board of highway commits
sioners, three in number, whose duty
it shall be to take charge of the highway
system of the state, and particularly to
provide for the construction and main
tenance of an improved system Of high |
ways in its several counties, outside of
the great cities, building them up, and
perfecting them upon the road beds of |
such existing highways as may be Sc
lected by the supervisors of the various |
counties.
By the concurrent action of the high |
way commissioners and the country SUI |
pervisors, such general system of i'm |
proved roads over the whole state shall |
be determined upon as will afford credit |
to the greatest number of the citizens of |
the state.
to be done shall be put through under |
contract in regular form under the |
charge of the county supervisors, and |
the whole under the general direction of !
the state commissioners
The expenses of such improvements |
are to be met by the Issuance of bonds
by each county, TO an extent Tot exceed
ing in any case one-twentieth of one per
cent. of the total valuation of the prop
erty within the county.
This bill will, if passed, insure the
construction of several hundred miles of
superior highways within the state of
New York, and provide for the extern
sion of improved highways from time to
time, as they may be needed.
MASSACHUSETTS HIGHWAY BILL.
A somewhat simpler plan than this is
provided for by bin prepared for my
own state, Massachusetts,, and one, per-
haps, less likely TO meet with the usual
opposition from the many voters of the
farming district, who are too apt TO look
only at the expense of any reform or
movement without stopping