The Opelousas courier., 1891-12-26
ROAD AGITATION IN THE SOUTH


A Letter on Highway Improvement from
Harry I'll. Hodgson, of New Orleans.
That the agitation in favor of the i'm
provement of public roads is not con-
fined to the north is shown by the letter
given below, from Harry Ell. Hodgson,
Of New Orleans. Nh. Hodgson is thor
oughly conversant with the execrable
condition of country roads, and knows
what the roads of the time should be.
His remarks are therefore worth reading.
He says:
There is no subject which has attract
ed more public attention throughout the
United States than that of improved
public highways.
1t Es a sad commentary that those
really most concerned take so little in
terest in a matter so closely connected
with comfort, business, increased value
OF lands, and rapid transit.
Ii should be given the attention Of
every class of people, from the banker
to the laborer, and the driver of a coach
and four is not more vitality interested
than the farmer with his load of hay.
County boards are always willing to
contribute toward building railroads.
and large sums of money are annually
contributed to this end; but never once
have these same county boards contrib
ted any large amount for the construc-
ton and maintenance of good highways.
The useless waste of money by political
rings has been one cause that has per-
verted the money from its object, and
unintelligent methods have been anoth-
er and very real trouble.
The roads of the United States are a
disgrace. In many cases they are mere
bog holes. What little work has been
done, has been a waste of money and
energy.
No science has been displayed in the
construction of roads; no effort made to
build them on modern and sensible plans.
The old laws should be repealed and
present and future necessities met by
framing laws to compel the building and
maintenance Of good highways and the
placing of sign boards ON roads, SO
that the farmer may market his products
and the traveller accomplish his journey
with the least expenditure and greatest
speed possible.
The present system is no system at all.
A tree falls across a road. It is not cut
out, but all drive around il. The most
primitive methods are resorted to, and
there is no concert of action. Every road
takes care of itself, and if a little work
is done it is to meet present and tempo
raTy emergencies with no regard for the
future.
The working out of the road tax is a
farce which cannot be too strongly con-
demned. Let such work as is done be
completed on a basis that will make ii
count for something; let the unsatisfac-
tory work of the past be at an end; let
all future attempts at road building be
such as will give us a system Of high
ways which we can point to with pride,
and u land values will ebe enhanced
and our national prosperity increased.
There is no necessity for c~oncealing the
fact that U roads are in a deplorable
condition. We have few roads to boast
OF and few are contemplated. Our
methods are bad, and nc action is being
taken to get us out Of the mad. We are
no better off today than we were fifty
years ago, and have practically nothing
show for the millions expended dur
ing the last half century.
Is this nj a sad affair to contemplate?
Jan the intelligence and patriotism of
he Americans be so dead that none viii |
this movement to urge an entire
mango OF present methods and establish
intelligent and modern basis on which
. commence a system of road building
hat will in time give us highways that
We can point to with pride?
OUR eyes are now being opened to the
leeds OF the Union and we should be
shamed of Dur slow progress in road
Let the farmers in every state make
their aim to start a system Of roads
adding a few miles each year to some
Important road in their vicinity, and let
DO work be done honestly and by i'm
royed methods. Let every cent count,
Sc only good material, and always with
view to do well that work which Is
one.
immigration will seek localities where
God roads abound, for those localities
enote an intelligent and energetic peo-
lie. A very wise man has said: 'sThe
Dad isthat physical sign or symbol by
'hich you may understand any age or
e they have no roads they are
wages, for the road is the creation Of
ian and the type of civilized society,"
such is the fact, how much above the
wage is the average American farmer?
Something must be done. Our coun-
is improving in all kinds of indus
les. our roads alone are neglected.
Let us blot out the past, let old times
its methods be forgotten, let us in
modern and scientific methods,
that we viii leave a monument be-
nd more lasting than granite, SO that
generations may know us as a
people.
HARRY Ell. HoDGsoN. ]
FROM Friends Of Road Improvement. ]
President Andrews, Brown university:
have no doubt the value Of farming t