The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-08-12

~""h'ry Their Improvement.
Inc common roads and country h;..a
ways In tho United States ara svosss
than those To BIO found in anv othss
country IN the world pretending 10 -
civilized and enjoying stable form y
government. Asst has long been ~ ~
io'n that the common highways u 4
country are NJ once tho means and M
measure Of its civilization, II 4 soms'
what strange that in this country. whe,s
we boast Of enjoying higher tyne u
civilization than IL 70 he found ala.
where. our roads should always baya
bcon 30 wretchcdly bad.
Even In tho colonial times the neces.
sity TO make better the condition Of M
common roads was seriously felt and i
those parts Of the country settled by oar.
ticnlarly longhcaded people. as, for n.
stance. in the ncighborhood Of Boston
there have always been pretty good pub
lie highways. But as rule all over
tho country from then till now wa
have been content with dirt roads. which
In the winter are muddy quagmires and
In summer streaks OF dust. Both Wash.
ington and Hamilton, after the estah
lishment Of the republic, appreciated
fully the Importance Of general sys.
fem Of common highways
Washington recommended to Patrick
Henry. then governor Of Virginia. that
tho location, the building and the re-
pairs Of roads be taken out Of the hand
Of the local authorities; for he saw
what we see yet moro clearly TODAY
that where our highways are left 20 Tho
tender mercies Of the local authorities
they are mismanaged, badly built. and
even in their worst condition harmed
by any attempts TO make them better
This is not because these local author.
ties would not like to have good roads,
but it is because they have no means
with which to do much better than Is
done, and If they did have the means
they lack the requisite knowledge, with
out which no decent roads can be built
or managed.
Strange though it may seem. the farm
ers, as . rule, take less interest ia this
matter Of road Improvement than any
other people. Very few Of them arc
travellers, and very few realize how bad
the country roads are. When they are
told OF the roads which were built in
prehistoric times by the meas Of Peru
when the Carthaginian roads are de-
scribed to them, and those noble high
ways which radiated from ncicnt Rome
are mentioned. they listen as though
fairy tale were being told, and when
they hear Of the great highways in
France. in England and Switzerland
and Germany, they listen with the same
incredulity with which they receive the
| yarns which sailors and other travellers
are privileged to bring from beyond tho
| seas.
They have never had better roads
than those which exist today. nor did
their fathers or grandfathers. Con-
sentative men that they are, they feel
| that what was good enough In the clden
| time Is good enough today; therefore,
! with kind Of contempt which Is mis-
erably pitiful. they "wallow in the miro
Of their ways, paying excessive tolls, en-
during, in word, q grinding taxation,
generation after generation, without aIt
| preciating the burden which rests upon
/ them"
II has been suggested that the Amer
lean roads be placed under q system q
government supervision and be divisd
somew hat as the French roads are:
First--National roads. These to b
built and maintained by the general gov
| ernment and he located with reference
! 20 military and postal requirements.
| Second--State roads These TO be built
and maintained by the several states
and connect the various localities OF tho
states and 10 planned with refercnceo
| the national roads.
! Third-County or neighborhood roads
! These to be built and maintained BY
! counties and townships and be located
! with reference to the classes just men
I toned.
Those who advocate this idea say that
| if our common roads were improved BY
some such plan as this, We should soon
have them in charge Of competent ana
educated engineers. The national roads
4 would probably be In charge OF army
/ engineers; the state roads in chargeof
| engineers graduated from tho agr1cul'
/ tural and mechanical schools; and tho
neighborhood roads in charge OF local
men, who, once having had the example
| set them Of how good roads are built
would be entirely competent to do what
| Is usually necessary to be done IN max
| ing a road Of lesser importance. Bus
even under such plan as this, eaen
| county should have an engineer 70 de-
sign the difficult work, determine upon
location Of routes and inspect construc
| tions and repairs.
| Strange as it may seem, the proper
! location Of country highway presenS
! to the engineer more complex problems
than the location Of . railroad. Country
people do not understand this and arc
not willing to believe It, therefore sno
crossroads storekeepcr and the village
blacksmith are usually thought 70 y
entirely competent to decide upon sDs
| best route for country road. John ~
lner Speed in Harper's Weekly.
| Good nsa1s would Help the Country'
| pad soada forco r,oople to live in CIV