Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-05-23

road upon which metal has been placed
is said 10 have been macadamized Blu.
II will have been seen that Macadan in
sisted on perfect drainage Of the subson
and such complete consolidation Of the
stone covering that neither water nor
dampness could get through il.
What We need in this colntry is a com.
prehcnslve system Of roads such rs these
The country people cannot build them.
II they had the inclination they have not
the means, and even if they happened to
have the means they have not the knowl-
edge and skill required to do such work
properly
1t takes as much. if not more. skill to
locate . common highway than it does to
locate railway line. A railway line
only needs TO be accessible at the various
stations, and these are usually chosen
after the line has been located with
refere1ce 70 the general Typographical
| features Of the country 4 common
highway. however, must be accessible
from every farm on either side for its
entire length. 1t therefore requires en-
iightened skill TO lay out a highway, even
IL the country. The old fashion of fol
lowing Indian trails, cowpaths or farm
lines was hopelessiy bad. but the great
majority Of our roads were laid out in
Just such way
have my country home in township
which has not mile of railroad It has
been entirely dependent on it's common
roads for nearly two hundred years. The
county town is seven miles away from
the town nshlp village, which is three hun
ltred feet the higher in altitude. There
is a valley which runs from one place to
the ether Here one would say the road
would have been placed. Not at all
1t WAS built in winding way over the
| hills, on the hillsides and across the val
leys, so that whichever way one goes it
is always either up or down hill. Through
the valley the distance would not have
been greater, and the grades would have
been inconsiderabe
| During four months of the year this
road is hub deep in mud. During an
other four menths it is knee deep in dust.
What has this poorly constructed road
COS, the tour or FIVE generations of farm
cis vino have titled the soil in this isolated
township,
dare say that if they had had good
common roads during the last half cen
tury the amount of the mortgages on
the farming lands would be very much
less than it is. But the saddcst thing
in this township is to see how they repair
the roads They get out the taxpayers
every spring and they plow up the sod
on the roadside and pile it in the middle
| OF the road. Then II Is q bad time TOR
travellers Fortunately, however, these
s.road members" don't work very hard,
and the township appropriation for this
purpose IS soon exhausted. If the money
were to hold out twice as long as it
usually does the roads would be impas-
sible nearly all the year round.
There is considerable agitation on the
subject Of road improvement just
now Many Of the States have inaugu-
rated systems more or less comprehensive.
i New Jersey has given the counties kind
OF local option as to improving the coun-
try roads In some places, notably in
Union County, this has been taken ad
vantage OF with worry happy results. But
counties which are exclusively agricu ul-
rural cannot 10 this, and they will not
do il.
The Governor or New York has rscom-
meuded that the State take up the qucs-
ton Of road building and make two in
tersecting highways across each county
in the State General oystone rec m
mends tha. tie National Government
take up the matter and assist scch States
as NAV des>xe It to build roads properly.
he claims ,hAt this can be done under
the clause Of the Constitution which en-
powers CouSress t. establish post roads
But this Is no he's matter Washing
ton was an advocate oi/better roads, and
he said in ! letter To- F'atrica Ierl.
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