Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-03-20
Give us Better Roads.

| Mr.. Editor "A few years have past since
you were kind enough to let me ventllate u
short article on good roads in your widely cir
culated columns, and am pleased to assure
you that "Pro Bono Publico" has been well
satisfied they did good, as our road improve
ment will testify. Everybody wants good
roads, no one wishes to be stuck in the mud,
and all interest seems to lean toward mac
adamzed roads. The great interest is how
to get them A great many very fine sug
gestions have been made, and a vast amount
of interest is now manifested in other coun.
ties, why not in ours? Must we plod along
in the same old ruts throw away twenty five
to thirty thousand dollars every year, to be
washed away, and the same yearly outlay
go on because we cannot get n million dol,
lars for a road fund?
How would this work Get our legisa.
tors to pass an enabling act for our County
Commissioners to buy a set o: the newest
and best road implements, to grade, crush
stone, and roll them to proper grade after
distrbution-all necessaries for perfect
outfit. What will that bill be? Then EN-,
ploy, by contract, a good, intelligent, reia
BILE civil engineer to work all such ma
chinery, with a salary of $1,000 year, to
expend the twenty or thirty, or even forty
thousand per year, making bad places good
llISt. huu lCt uitll DtSiH az ouI NOuuly
Seat first, gradually stretching out till we
could have all county roads made good,
The only increase in outlay would be the
cost of machinery, keeping it in working
order, and salary OF the engineer, who would
have 70 give good and reliable bond for
faithful performance OF his work, This
could be realized at small additional as
sessment on road taxes-nobody would feel
or object to it. The regular yearly tax would
of course go on as usual to be expended by
the engineer, our roads permanently made
good and passable and nobody hurt, and
our roads finally made to stay and the
money so expended to show for itself,a our
county farms increased that much in value
1t would draw capital from our great cities
to invest where they would know they had
good and reliable roads to get some where.
This suggestion would make beginning
for good until something better could be
adopted The object is To so work quickly
and at once and see what can be accom-
pished-not go to sleep and dream that our
great, great grandchildren would eventually
build our roads with stone.
AS to material, can hardly think any
man with half soul but would freely give
all the stone he could get ON his place to
improve the roads bordering there on. And
stone abounds, ,lavishly,in Montgomery coun
ty is hardly deniable, and the roads, Il good
place to put it. We bear the reputation
abroad as highly cultivated and intelligent
class of country people, with large resources
OF the best educational purposes and i'm
provement, aud 50 we have. Now make
these suggestions; let our mathematiGians
go to work, digest and work it up. have
no axes 10 grind, and if any better or more
economical plan can be suggested, in
heavens name, let us have it, and at once.
Our roads now present fair show to begin
with Give us good roads and the county
will grow and improve elsewhere, us along
the railroad. Kindly yours,
Pho Bono PURLrGo.