Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-04-24
WAYBACk'S ROADS.
What Would Happen to the Town II They
Were Improved.

to. For instance, perhaps it will give US
roses. Then again it may give us prom
Use of big crops, if we are farmers, or
promise of cheaper produce, if we are Of
the people who buy Of the farmers.
There are two things which it is certain
to bring They are colds and mud.
There is no excuse, however, for the GER
tainty of the mud's coming. and if the
mud failed to arrive the colds would,
many of them be side tracked before
they got here Therefore let us Danish
the mud.
Now that it is decided that the mud
shall be banished. the next question is,
How shall it be done? There is only one
way of doing it. and the essentials of it
are hard work one part, money one part
and common sense ninety-eight parts
The work and the money are easy
enough to get. but the common sense is
scarce. and good deal of it is needed
The difficulty is that most of our path
masters and road commissioners don't
recognize what little there is of it lying
around when they see it. They have a
way of regarding propositions for the
improvement of public roads as PROPOSE
tions by contractors for feeding at the
public crib. In reality they are propo-
sitions for the enlargement of the public
cribitself, so that its legitimate users may
find more to appease their hunger, and
for the improvement of its surroundings,
so that those who do feed may do
SO with greater comfort and convenience.
Suppose we take, for instance, the
township OF Wayback. which is situated
in a rolling country, fifteen miles from
the city of Bigmarket, where all Way
hacks produce must be sold if it be sold
at all. There are thirty miles of road
in Wayback. and they are like the roads
in most country towns, mere rivers of
mud in wet weather and gullies of dust
when the days are dry. Estimating the
cost of putting down a macadam-tel-
ford pavement at $4,000 a mile, it would
cost 100000 to improve every inch of
highway in the township. 1t may be
said that So 900 mile is too small an
estimate. but it must be remembered
that in making it include the little
used crossroads, constituting by far the
greater part of the mileage, which would
vice and less elaborate drainage and care
than the few miles of main thorough
fare. In order to raise the money re-
auired for making this vast improve
ment it would be necessary to bond Way
back for that amount, but this could be
easily done in way that would avoid
oppressive taxation. In calculating on
such loan it should be remembered
that the posterity of the present genera
tlon will be the greater gamers by the
Improvement. and that therefore it is
not only Just to borrow the money for
long term Of years, but that it would be
unjust to do otherwise.
The advantages which would accrue
to Wayback from such a step would be
manifold As the roads are now, an i'm
passable barrier of mud is imposed be-
tween the township and the city for
weeks after the frost leaves the ground.
Farmers who have held their hay or po-
tatoes or grain for ''spring prices start
out with their loads from Wayback ear
ly in the morning for the fifteen mile
drive to Big1narket If they get there
at all it is only after whole day OF
splashing and tugging through the mud.
If the roads had been good. three or four
hours would have suficed for the drive.
When the bad weather of fall comes
on the state of affairs is little better.
If the roads are not in quite so vile 8
condition the additional amount of
produce to be hauled more than evens
matters up. The unnecessary hours on
IL e., - %1,<4
of men and horses, and natural exasper-
alton and dissatisfaction with life in
such very sticky world units every
body for doing his best work. The
loads that can be drawn are compare
lively small, too.
Wayback is made up of fertile farms
of great productive power. But the bad
roads, as any one who stops to think will
see, must necessarily largely reduce the
profits by wasting time of men and the
vitality of stock and vehicles. Let us
say that Wayback landowners value
their holdings at 500 to 5000 an acre.
The only way in which we can judge of
the effect good roads would have on this
valuation is by examining results in
other places. personally know of one
section where within two years the i'm
provenent OH roads has almost doubled
the cash value of land. and can furnish
names of land owners who will cheer
fully testify to the fact. Such an in
crease in valuation would more than
pay the extra taxation imposed on Way
back by that $50 900 loan. wouldn't it?
think so.
Another thing which the opposers OF