The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-05-20
FARMERS AND BAD ROADS.
The Sensible View OF the Situa1oo
Taken by a Bright Woman.

The Sensible View of the Situa1oo
Taken by Bright Woman.
Louisa G. Scoield, Il lady living
in Rochester. N. Y, has been much
interested in the roads improve
ment agitation. She recently
wrote to the Engineering Record
| wish to speak particular of the
system land a system it is too) OF
ruts we now have as an excuse for
country roads.
AS to the farmer. | am sorry to
say, that every time the subject of a
good paved road through the coun-
try comes up he shouts with might
and main that haeanuot. afford II
for even now he is almost ruined by
taxes. Let us look more closely
into the matter and see whether we
think he can afford good paved
road. On the present trails, called
by courtesy roads, the farmers haul
but about half the load of one of
our city teamsters. Why? Re
cause the farmer takes his load over
an uneven dirt road. with many
hollows and humps, formed during
the muddy season, which have not
vet been smoothed by working out
the road tax. But the city teamster
has a good, even pavement, and
his team draws the heavy load easl-
ly. Then why is it that the, say
French farmer, is gradually accu-
mulaung money, while our poor
American farmers are (and that
not gradually accumulat;ng only
rich harvest of debts. The reason
is simply this: The French far
mer places his produce in his ware
house and waits till prices are high.
The he quietly hauls his little
store to the city and sells it at a
good. price, and that without killing
his horses or breaking his wagon.
How different with our poor far.
mer! He, too, stores his harvest
but when his weekly newspaper
comes, and tells him there is a
great demand for his produce he
simply sits around the house, and
at most, mends few straps in his
dilapidated harness.
An ignorant person would at
once ask Why does lie not 90 to
market? Because he cannot. He
is as much in prison, as regards his
produce, as if he were in Siberia.
The fact is that the road passing
his house is miry lake and is alb
sclutely impossible with loaded
wagon.
But to town he must go for the
necessaries of life, so with a team
of horses harnessed to his lightest
buggy he manages to get to town
and their leaves not his produce.
but the residue of his small savings
from the previous year. Finally
when the roads are dry and the
market down again he draws his
store to the city and sells it at a
low price, and he has the addition.
al vexation Of knowing that a
month before he could have made q
much larger profit bad it been pos.
sible for him to reach the city. Sc
he returns to his farm and home
with very small amount of money
and smaller store of good nature
casting gloom over the whole
house and refusing even the least
expenditure. Then. for his forced
economy. he is styled the stingy
farmer.
Even when continued good
weather has improved the roads il
is not uncommon to see a farmer
going along with a broken Wagon
or lame horse; all because ht
must travel over such rough roads
1t is not the lack of business ablli
ty that makes the poor farmer poor
er but the lack of good roads. Ev
cry one knows that the dull French
peasant cannot be favorably com
pared with our intelligent farmer
but alas. the latter's intelligence
has not reached the height of goo,
roads.
But surely we may hope our gov
ernment will soon take up the sub
ject in earnest and attend to the or
ganiMng OF a complete system 0
roads such as are possessed by th
I cntpfpics &c ~