The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1892-06-23
GLORY TO THE IDAHO PRESS !!
It is Taking up the War for
Road Reform!
Some Views Expressed
by Contemporaries.

The press of Idaho waking up to
the Importance of road reform !
Hurrahl The ranks of road workers
are rapidly swelling. There are
several good Idaho papers that can be
counted solid for the cause. The
oldest crusader, perhaps, is the Free
Press, which journal has been at it
for several years. The people of this
county know what the SIGNALS
efforts have been. The Citizen has
said many good words in behalf of
the betterment of roads. The Idaho
Commonwealth and the Caldwell
Tribune next took up the fight, and
now comes two grand champions
the Idaho Statesman and Idaho
Enterprise. A correspondent in the
Statesman says:
cit seems that the time for pro-
gressive men to step to the front and
make Idaho the great state she should
be has at last come. 1t is NOW
evident that mossback ideas must 60.
Farmers are beginning to realize that
home markets are the best makrets
in the world, and that as the farming
districts are settled up, more home
markets must be created. The
interests of the miners and farmers
are mutual. When the mineral
districts prosper the farmers will make
money Then why not do as Colorada
did. When territory that state was
governed by mossback ideas, and fol
many years she was at standstill.
1t was not until the legislature took
the matter of wagon road building il
hand and opened communication
with all of the principal minera
districts that her new era began. She
is now the greatest mining state il
the Union-made SO by her many
and convenient wagon roads. Unit
Idaho gets out of the old groove sh'
cannot prosper. Great events do no
come of themselves, and are never tn,
result of idleness or stagnation. The.
are only brought about by concert o
action and energy judiciousl'
expended. 1t does really seem tina
the change from inactivity to push i
near at hand Individuals are no
able to construct wagon roads t
isolated districts, no matter how ric
they are, and companies will no
purchase mines so far away that an
/, great outlay is required to construo
, roads over which to haul machiner
and supplies. Instead of bein
isolated and but little known, Dead
wood, Sheep Mountain. Seafoan
Bear valley and south and middl
Salmon ought to be giving employ
, ment to thousands of men in the
! gold, silver, copper and lead mines
After wagon roads are constructe
and the mines sufficiently develope
to gain the confidence of capitalist
railroads will come; but we mui
have railroads first. There new,
was wagon road that was not pr
I ceded by a trail, and never a railroa
that was not preceded by a wage
road.
In an editorial the Statesman ado
Y to this as follows:
/. s1t is abolutely true that this sta
can not progress as it should until
II has roads. We need railroads, b
a wagon roads have to precede ther
L When the former shall have built, t
e latter will still be useful in major
e of cases, as it is only in few cas-
g that railroads absolutely superse
& wagon roads, the latter general
'e filling a local need after they sh'
g have been abandoned by traffic fro
'e distant points.
>; No argument is needed to shs
1. that roads should be built. Ever
Ell body realizes that they would bene
a the state and different count
" enormously, and people general
le realize that they would hasten
le building of lines of rail commu
ne ication."
y The following from the Nal
ar Enterprise would seem to indicate Il
n vision of the situation in Washir
I'd ton county had passed over the mi
ne of that journals brilliant editor:
OF s'There is no economy on eal
at more utterly prohigate and sensel
I'd than that which maintains bad roa'
[can it be that this was actua
meant for our Wash. Co. Comm
J.. sioners?] When people object to ]
y eral expenditure of public money
Is public roads they simply rob the
ad selves. There is no one thing Il
a contributes more powerfully to
,st convenience, civilization and profit
~ mankind than good roads. The ID
'a' ancient people have genera
sst appreciated this fact and the roads
Rome arc today testimony to