Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-06-09
THE COUNTRY ROADS

Trom Iha ENenlNq 81.

The comnl0fl roads anu country
highways III the United States, gays
John Gilmer Speed ii Hes1er's
peekly, are worse than those 70 be
found in any other county in the
world pretending 70 be civilized and
enjoying astable form 81 govern
mont. Even IN COLONIAL times,
The writer continues, the necessity
to make better The eon5 ssqn Of the
common roads was seriously felt,
and ID those parts 81 tho country
settled BY particularly long headed
people as, for instance, IN the ncigh-
borhood OF Boston, there have nj
ways been pretty good public high
ways. But, a. rule, all over the
county, from then till now we have
been contentwit dirt roads, which
in the winter are muddy quagmiraa
and in summer streaks 81 dust.
Both Washington and Hamilton,
after tho establishment 81 the re-
public, appreciated fullytho impor-
rance Of a general system Of COM
mon highways. Washington re-
commended to Patrick Henry, then
governor Of Virginia, that The To-
cation, the building aud the repairs
II roads Sc taken ont d Tho hands
81 the local authorities Tor bic saw,
what we see set more clearly to-day.
that whore our highways are left 10
the tender mercies Of tie local asl-
thoritics they are nismanaged. bad
~ built and even ID their worst
conuisior harmed by any attcmpls
10 make them bet.e. r.Aia & not
because these local authorities would
not like to have good roads, hnt II
ID because they have no means with
which to do much better Than il
done, and II they aid have the
means they lick lae requisite
knowledge, without whleh no de-
cent roads can be built 81 man.
aged.
The article refers u tho move
ment begun IN recent years IN favor
Of the bcttcrmeni 81 country roads
and raya ,rhe most actiye pro-
moters of this movement have been
the members and tho committee 81
tho Leagneof American WheoImen
Of in other words The bicycle riders
81 the country These gentlemen
have been ceaAeless and energetic III
their work, which promises IN The
near future % be rich with good
results. At the outset, and oven
a bhs time q some extent. theae
gentlemen have been somewhat
handicapped w tile lack Of esteem
Of the farming communities.
'.1'he farmers have always lad to
pay for building aud repairing roads
IN this country. even when these
roads happened to lead from ono
prosperous town 70 another. Very
naturally these people. already oyer-
hurdened hy direct and indirect
taxation, have felt very indisposcd
to take any action which should
add to that already heavy burden.
Any effort to secure cooperation il
road improvement must provide
that the cost OF snch improvement
shall not fall entirely upon them.
Unless this b made entirely clear,
from the farmers there viii always
Be an active and stubborn oppose
ton.
Strange though it may seem,
tic farmers, "a . rule, take less IN
tefest In this matter 81 road inn
proyement than any other people.
Very few Of them arc travellers
and very few realize how bad the
country roads arc. They hive never
had better roasls than those which
exist today. nor did their fathers
OF grandfathors Conservative men
thar tIoy are, they feel that what
was good enough u the olden limo
IS good enough today
II has been suggested that tile
American roads Be placed under i
system Of government supervision
and be divided somewhat as tho
French roads are
First, national roads. These
To DO built aud maintained BY the
general government and be located
with reference 10 military and pos
tai requirements.
Second, State roads. These to
DO built and maintained by the sew
eral States, aud connect the various
Iaealiliea of fha gtatoa and III