The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-08-26
WAGON ROADS AND HIGHWAYS,
How Those of America Contrast
with Those Abroad,

with Those Abroad.
One OF the most interesting re
ports ever published is that emit
tied, streets and Highways in
Forelgn Countries" just issued by
our department of state and con.
slsting of reports from United
States conSuls upon the construc-
ton and maintenance of highways
In foreign lands. If anything were
necessary to show the great super
lorlty OF European roads over our
American wagon roads, these re-
ports would do 1T most effectuallv,
but America has long been known
to be so deficient in the construc-
ton and maintenance of wagon
roads that the object of this report
as compiled by the state depart
ment is to indicate how they may
be improved.
The report is too voluminous
and embraces too many countries
to be even reviewed in an editorial,
but we may take that portion
which refers to Switzerland as
specimen Of the whole.
The network of highways with
which Switzerland has been COW
cred constitutes the pride and
glory of that little republic. Swift
erland has nearly 5000 miles of
splendid country wagon roads, al
though her area is less than one
third that of Nebraska. Her
100000 of population may well
take pride in these highways, which
are the most scientifically con-
structed and best maintained wa
gon roads IN the world. Whether
they climb mountain roads or ex-
tend into the remotest valleys, they
are models in every respect, both
as to foundation surface and grade.
They are free to the public, and
the laws which control and protect
them are both intelligent and
strict. They are under the general
control of the central government
of Switzerland, but each canton
and every district of each canton
are required to keep them IN order
and provide police surveillance for
them.
1t is nearly 1900 years since the
Roman engineers first lai6 out a
few of the main highways of Swift
erland. and it is the following of
the plans they provided and the
methods they adopted which make
the roads of Switzerland so perfect.
Constructed in the first instance
for the march OF armies and the
postal service of the Roman en-
pire, they fill now with equal per-
lection the peaceful uses of com
merce and agriculture, and make
traffic and travel in Switzerland
delightful and easy.
America can well afford to study
the methods employed by the road
builders of Europe, and the sparse
ly settled regions of the west,
where agriculture particularly de-
mands good country wagon roads,
should especially seek to profit by
the experience of the Old World
for the Old Road is as far ahead of
America in the matter of wagon
roads as America is ahead in rail-
roads.
There is one sentence in the con-
sular reports from Switzerland
that made by l.. Z. Adams
which we wish particularly to I'M
press upon our readers as worthy
Of remembrance. 1t is as fol-
lows:
"The worst surface with a good
foundation affords a better road
than the costly surface without a
foundation. This is probably the
most important lesson to be got
from European experience IN road
building"
The west has difficult problem
before 1T to provide good country
roads. Our alluvial soil, which
lacks the stones and gravel used
with such effect in Switzerland,
presents problems in roadbuIlding
which must be solved if we would
have good country roads, and
the solution of which will re-
qure much ingenuity and prob
ably also large expenditure.
We believe, however, that good
country highways are almost us es-
sential to the prosperity and devel-
opment of our farming regions and
country communities as good pave
ments are to city, and more and
more the attention of legislature
should be directed to their I'M
provement.
The farmer who is ten miles
from town, but who is connected
to it by a good country road which
IS passable at all time, is, for prac-
teal purposes, much better off and
much nearer to the market than a
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