The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-25

Better Ones.
In giving his endorsement to Q road de-
partment ut the Worlds Columbian ex-
position, Gov. Toole says 1t has his full
sympathy and he believes such a movement
would result in a great practical benefit to
tho several states. He has called tho atten-
ton of the state board OF managers to the
matter and has requested them to promote
as far as possible the proposition looking
toward . separate building Or one connectsd
with ths transportation Departments or an
nsxed to the transportation building.
One OF the most earnest advocates in tho
cause Of good roads, which had its initial
at tho hands of the League of American
S Mnss!~'ni Hs is . AtSs'' e! & Mott :: : s; s,,i, Il:
may, il IL universally conceded, that good
roads are an absolute necessity in the
economy Of 4 nation; that they are actually
investments which give a return iustifying
the initial expense and maintenance. In
some localitiss and for short distances they
auccessfully compete with railroads, water
In magnificent distances they act a. feeders
to the other transportation routes. They
are the greatest factors In the problem of
economy to the aariculturist, and 10 every
business enterprise that results In a pro-
duct to be hauled. They arc absolute
= WV AAA1AVWky AC&bAEo0 VI u VASG
nation where large masses of men, artillery
and munitions of war are to be moved, and
at the same time, act for its own protection
during transit in tho presence Of an
enemy.
''In one Of the harbors of::the country tho
United States government invested several
hundred, thousand dollars in deepening and
widening the channel marked out by ma
ture, and thereby increased ito custom re-
ceipts from about two millions to nearly
eight millions of dollars in gold. Internal
improvements facilitating and ch~eapening
hauling and transportation Of bulky p o.
ducts, are profitable to the general govern.
Another enthusiast for good roads is
Isaac b. Potter. who tells how they were
procured in Parke county, Indiana. It used
to be the custom of farmers in that section
to work" the roads In the same manner,
and with the same ignorant attention TO the
work in hand. that had been given it BY
their fathers and forefathers away back to
the feudal times in English history. They
went out on that streak of disturbed soil
which by force of custom they called a
"road," and under pressure OF annual as
sessment proceeded to sorape and maui the
soil for three or four hours per day. When
the farmer was too busy to indulge in this
permitted that two of his boys
were allowed as = substitute for their
father, and one Of these "s%uhstitutes,'
writing ut a later day says: 1T WINS az GOOD
as a holiday" One day 1t came to pass that
two or three theorists and cranks began to
talk to the people of Parke county about
constructing t%urnpikes and gravel roads,.
They were met by al1umsnts which tho
good people of Parke county would be
ashamed to hnvs repeated here, and they
made few converts. Finally one enthusiast
in the county built a mile of gravel road
and paid it out OF his private purse. He
WAS a radical OF the Dad question and
wished to convince his neiRhbors; but they
only made fun Of his efforts aud plunged
along in the mud till it became apparent
that there was only one mile Of good road
in the entire county, This mile of good
road preached a powerful It was
Il better argument and made more con-
verta than all that had been talked
and written to those people
for generations. A wave of common sense
rolled over into Park county, which con-
tanned at that time the muddiest road In the
state. A few enterprising people led tho
movement for All improvement of this road,
and in a short time . solid highway was
completed over which the farmers drew
their loads with ease. pleasure aud profit.
This road was the second convin cling argu-
ment in that part of the county, and it
routed the opposition. The people found
that nothing served to increase their indi-
vidual and collective prosperity 30 much a.
good roads. and In a few years seven splen-
did gravel plkes were completed.