Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-11
THEPEOPLE'S COLUMN
A Farmer Gives His Idea of the Kind
Ofa Road Law Wanted.
FAULT In TIE COMMISSION BILL
A Presentation of the Strikers Side of the
Coke Trouble.
INFORMATION FOR EAGER INQUIRERS

To the Editor of The Dispatch:
The Harrisburg correspondent of The
DISPATCH SAYS the road bill will lead to
endless discussion in the House. that O
strong feeling is being worked up against
its passage in the county districts, much of
which, if not all, is baseless, that the talk
of increasing taxation and salaried officials
has no foundation in fact, that the measure
in place OF being radical is very conserya-
tive, and that the talk is designed to scare
timid members. Such an eclipse must have
come from pretense or corporate ally. as
it labors to cover over the facts the bill
plainly sets forth. For the facts let us look
up the former proceedings. Two years ago
law was enacted authorizing the Speaker
of thh Senate to appoint 8 commits
sioners, the Speaker of the House and
the Governor high-salaried privates, with
hotel, stationery and travelling expenses,
amounting to many thousand dollars, to
inquire of the farmer how to make good
roads. After the frolic was over, bill was
formulated creating a two-horse load of
township officials, the supervisors to get no
pay, aud handle no money, but subject to a
high-salaried superior county civil engineer
to lay the roads off into highways and
common roads.
Let the engineer start at the first Of April
and he could not view the ten thousand
mud holes in 4 county in time to instruct the
supervisors, if it was possible he had such
capacity. This official is sufficient to absorb
the townships pro rata of the State Sl,000,000
appropriation, of which the farmer pays 50 per
cent Of 3712 better let the farmer solve his own
geometrical problems and eQuasons when his
boy and OK get in the mudhOle. OF course he
could not make such nice draft of bills, and
plats OF highways to send up to the Secretary of
Internal Affairs, where it would take host Uf
clerks TO record the designs and expenses.
II the Harrisburg correspondent and the
Road Commission can't fathom the bills super
hcial, worthless and unnecessary expenditures,
it is because it is tangled up in its lntrica-
cies. The bill has plenty of longitude, but no
common sense-a baby of the stovepipe hat cor
pOration order / live on farm, and empha-
size the fact that uniform road law is demand
ed, as many plans of repairs are inadequate.
Many townships call out the taxpayers with
pick and shovel to do the repairs and talk; some
townships never drain or turn water off but
spend all tax in pilirg stone in the mudholes,
and in short time the stone has sunk away in
the wet ground, while a mudhOle Is found az
each end OF the stoning. Here the tax
is five times as high as in townships where
good roadbeds are formed and well drained.
The best system is the Mexican. The road is
laid Oft in half-miIe sections and sold to the
lowest bidders. to be kept in repair for three
years with definite specifications to be entered
in the book OF contracts. This allows the far
mer to work out his taxes or pay in IN oney. This
law is efficient and economical where there is
no negligence, A section added to this law al
lowing any interested citizen to correct the |
township audit on the section not repaired ac-
cordIng to the specifications, with power to sub |
let the contract, aud to deduct the cost from |
the supervisors salaries at the annual settle
ment, would make the law compulsory, and all |
any law can be.
The farmers natural resources gives him am |
pie protection, but he fails when it comes to |
legislation, and then to set forth in preamble \
that be is only pretender endowed with obscure |
ways, Is shameful. Honesty is the best policy, |
and truth is mighty and must prevail. The |
farmer should wake up when the sun shines |
and look after merit candor, integrity fidelity |
and faithful responsibility if he expects to be |
and as for macadams and street |
car rails there is no IL 9ney, and ne had better |
drop the egotist and office hunter. There is |
about as much use for the man in the moon to |
repair common roads as there is for superior OF |
State and county officials. A little common |
sense is worth more than money in making |
good roads. high. round and smooth road bed, |
SO the water will run OF; and where the ground |
is wet, deep water tables and under drainage,
and stone where necessary, fills the bill.
BOWER HILL, April 6. A FARMER.