The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-09-08

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> <'/b5; IN EN- 'i'S { y
o. Z - E "Who shouI
to NzgaasT III build the coun,
ly M8SsYY VA roads?" Hol
fit IzssJ ANY Glenn Studebak'
e. nv III \HN of Indiana, col
at MW INK WEWNi tributes an artic
ifs & xAaIf>~ AS. to the magazir
pt A@11sS Good Road
r. y - from which til
r > following extrae
es is made. We publish because it is tn
J. definite suggestion of one who ha
le studied the subject:
y The wagon and carriage road sys
IS tenn of the United States ought to b.
: under the direction, supervision ant
y control of the War Department OF tn
!? National Government. The officer
IS OF the army are particularly we'll fittee
r, to take charge of this great important
work. Their West Point studies have
h given them a thorough knowledge o
= the theory of civil engineering, and
:, many OF them have had practical ex,
t perience in road making, in the estab.
t fishing of grades, in ditch-digging, the
, construction of embankments, and
! bridge and culvert building, etc. In
these piping times of peace, moreover,
they have the leisure for this work.
They are practically "out of a job, -
and hundreds of them would hail the
. charge OF this work as welcome relief
from the tedium and listlessness of
post duty or camp life. But further,
they are not only especially qualified
for the work, and have the time to do
it, in their hands this branch of opera
ltions would be removed from the
danger of being harnessed to some
political machine. | am aware that
such a scheme of national road
making as | am suggesting would be
stubbornly opposed by many who
would otherwise favor it, unless it could
be securely divorced from the posi-
bility OF use to further the ends of any
political party.
There is another phase OF this pro-
posed plan that to my mind is enor-
mously in his favor. 1t is that which
contemplates, in the prosecution of
the work, the employment by the
general government of more or less
large body of common laborers. On
what precise terms these men could
be most wisely engaged for their own
1t might be thought best to enlist
them for term OF years-two, three,
or five; furnishing them with clothing,
ration and pay as is now done in the
case of the soldiers. There is a num-
erous class in this country whose
enlistment as road makers, under an
engagement which would insure to
them frugal living, clothing, shelter,
and care when sick, would be a boom
indeed
Political economists will never make
headway against the growing spirit of
socialism until through the establish
ment of some permanent agency for
the employment of surplus labor they ,
can say to every man who demands
bread, "Obey the divine mandate"
BY the sweat of thy brow, shalt thou
eat bread, and there is your free and
unquestioned opportunity to earn and
receive it,
| would not be understood as pro-
posing that the national gov vernment
should assume the entire burden of |
expense of the building, improvement
and care Of the wagon roads of the
country. In France and other foreign
countries, where wagon roads are main
tained at high state of perfection,
the expense Of the roads is shared by
the general government, by the State
government, by the county: and blythe
individual whose property is adjacent
to the roadways. This plan is COM
monty for the national government
to maintain roads connecting the
or those which are interstate
in character; the State builds and
keeps up State roads; and the smaller
of country bear the
expense of the intersecting by-roads
and lanes. Some equitable distribu-
tion of the expense of this nature
could be adopted by u.s. The burden
ought not to be borne as now mainly
by those whose property is immedi-
ately adjacent to the roadway The
benefits OF good roads are almost
wholly indirect in their realization. If
the roads are bad, not only the far
mer, but everybody else feels the
effect which business ex-
perlences therefrom. The benefits are
largely general; the expense should be
more largely paid from the general
fund
In making my plea for good roads,
desire to emphasize my conviction
that our need is for enduring roads.
My study for this subject leads me to
the conclusion that four -ffths of the
outlay put upon our roads at the
present day is ephemeral in charater.
The ploughlng, the narrowing, the
leveling, the dtching and smoothing
Of the annual road tinkering, is quickly
wasted when the next protracted rain
visits that locality. The late Governor
Hovey, in his last message to the
Legislature of Indiana, estimated that
between two and three millions of
dollars and labor had been expended
IL \