The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-11-26
:.~....-,. GOOD ROADS.
(From the ''Gospel of Good Rosds.'')

(From the ''Gospel Of Good Roads. ~
II. ~~-.'
You will agree with me that your
roads are bid. You may not know
that they are the Very worst in tho
world; but you have never seen or
heard "f any worse ones; nor, alas, per.
haps of better. You live on the main
road in an impo, tant county. 1 saw
you one day last spring trying to
drive your best horse through the
pasty depths Of that mysterious streak
OF public territory, and while the pa
tieht beast was pulling the harness in
two, it, his Efforts to lift you and your
seant load on to the little bridge near
the mill, your photograph was taken,
and I have had it copied on page 8 of
this pamphlet.
II 1ssn honest stspictuse-as honest as
the sun; let us sit down together and
look ut it. You will notice that your
face is turned the other way, and l
promise not to tell anybod y who you
are; for | feel that the day is soon com.
ing when every American farmer will
look upon that picture with some re-
gret, and I have no desire to humiliate
a friend; besides, it is not your fault
alone that this road is bad, nor is il
this road alone that presentsa sea of
slush aud slime throughout the rainy
season.
There were 10000 farm horses in
your county on the day when this pho
t"graph was taken, and for about four
wcrks all the county roads had been in
jnst this condition. Teaming WAS out
of the question; to haul 4 load to town
was impossible, and the 10000 farm
horses stood in their stalls "eatinR
their heads off," At what cost to the
farmers? Assume that the cost of
keeping each horse is twenty five cents
per day, including labor, food, and all
other items, and in half u minute we
compute that it costs 81 500 per day,
ST. 600 per week aud exactly $4,000
for the four weeks that these horses
have been standing practically idle.
A bad road, you see, is AL expensive
thing.
1t is expensive not aluue to the farm.
trs Of your county, but to the farmers
of the entire country. The average
rainfall j., the United States is some
thing over f"'ty inches per year. The
dirt road abs"ibs these forty odd
inches Of water, free zes and thaws,
dries, pu'vriiz 8, changes from paste
to powder and back again from pow
der tn paste, AID for weeks 1T a time
is practically impossible. Farm .traf-
fic is tied up. You have produce to
sell, purchases to make, grain to grind
timber to haul. bills to collect and oh
legations to meet. but all these must
wait because your only avenue of
travel is taki' & its annual soak. a
IL z.n lines day you look out Of your
barn door with the hope Of s.eine
some struggling vagrant IT whom you
can inquire, "Ilow is the road?"
do not intend to ove,draw the
picture. for We have agreed together to
stick 10 facts alone, and so l have.
travelled many miles and gone to much
trouble in order that my letter to you
might contain only the truth, and !
find the country roads to he even worse
than had supposed them to b.; worse
than you think them to be- They are
bad almost without ex-
ception. One day l said to myself:
Now, there is the great Empire State,
she is out of debt, rich, populous,
she has 125 people for every
square mile Of her territory, nearly
200 incorporate d cities aud towns, and
the value of her farm crop last year
was about one and one haif times that
Of all the~New England States com.
bined. I will 60 up to the capital
county of this great state and see what
sort of roads New York has provided
for her farmers,'' So one day in April
a year ago went to Albany, and
there, almost in the shadow of that
S335, ,00O, 600 State house, l
found the farmers of Albany County
struggling in ''slough of
despond.'' Here is picture from An
actual sketch made at that time.
Another perfectly honest picture; as
honest rs the sun. How much do you
suppose it costs the farmers of Albany
County per day to keep the roads in
that condition? The legislature was
then in session, making laws 'f0r the
better government of the City of New
York." for the expenditure Of money
in the repair of State canals" 'for i'm
provement of navigation in the Hud-
son River" ""for the completion of the
State Capital" ''for the maintenance
Of convicts in the State Prison." and
so on, millions for expenses without
end, but nothing in behalf of tie
farmer. bought an A Albany morning
and found in that a some.
what extended article on the condition
If the roads in the State Of New York. !
Let me quote:
FARMERS BLOCKED OUT. BAD ROADS
KEEP kURAL BUSINESS AT A,
STANDsTILL-GRAIN FED TO CAT
TIE WHOLE BECAUSE IT CANNOT
BE TAKEN TO THE MILL.
Through correspondence from this
and vicinity counties it has been learn
Ell that the roads have, during months
past, been almost impossible. Busi
ness has been impeded, farmers unable
to forward produce. and trade is gen.
eral debarred.
~ 4