The Newtown bee., 1892-02-05
COUNTRY ROADS.
! r.

So much has been written on this sub- ject that it seems as if those who live in the country would not be content until they had secured good roads, or, at any
 rate, commenced to lay the foundation
 for such road.
 There would be no doubt of them, if those in favor of them could go ahead
 without being opposed by those who al-
 ways raise the cry that the town money
 is beinging squandered by the selectmen
 on the roads.
 In the first place, in order to com
 mence right, no selectman should allow
 those who work their section of the
 town roads to plow and scrape the mud out of the gutter into the center of the
 roud, but compel them to commence on top of all hills where practicable and cut down to fill the valleys and low places.
 Of course, it might not be possible to cut down enough in one year to make a level road, or nearly so, at any place where hill and valley come together, because of opposition from some prop erty owner who cannot or will not see any use in making such improvement.
 But, when completed, it is but natural for such to be over jealous in their praises of the improvement and sit for hours telling how they used to drive up such hill and down through the swamp, but, by their efforts, it is now fine piece of level or nearly level road. It nnccihla in thiS 10th century, that there could be even one far mer, or any one who lives outside the city. who would oppose, in any way, the construction of good hard roads. Each one should use his utmost energy to have them, with as few hills as possible. There are hills which look like moun- tains to many living in their locality but, were such near a city, they would sure ly have to go; at any rate, large DOT tion of them. Now, dear reader, are you for or against good roads? If you favor them, why do you not use your utmost to not only convince your neighbor, who opposes them, that it is a duty he not on- ly owes to his dumb animals, but to himself, his family and the community in which he lives. It is not necessary for heavy loads over poor roads, if they would join together in clubs and fight opposition until not a poor road was left No matter what work is undertak- en, some sort of opposition will be found, which must be fought until it is overrul- ed. A farmer living many miles from a town or city, with heavy muddy road leading to il, t,can never have full benefit af it's markets for farm produce, but, if there was good hard road, then the journey to and from market would be much shortened and he would then be able to carry his farm products to mar ket and dispose of them, giving him chance to make good living from the farm.
 How is it that farmer can buy a new or wagon, and then be content ed to ride over roads where he is com pelled to walk his horse, with the wheels of his vehicle nearly to the hubs in mud and he not fight to put stop to such abuse, not only to the horse and carriage, but to himself, by being compelled to take hours to go only few miles, when the trip could have made in half or third of the time. Such is the case and it is hard to change it, because the right men are not put in office. What an easy task it would be to have good roads, if it were possible to have one or two miles of hard roads laid down over a country road where the people had been in the habit of wading for years. Let them use the .oad one month, getting the benefit of ts advantages and then move it to anoth- 1T section, leaving the old road to the people. They would then rise up and work to have such road built without ielay. Town meetings would be called md money appropriated; but, alas. this cannot be done. Would that it could! Such an example would be quick way of securing good roads. There is no doubt but that the best and only way to secure good roads in every town would be to appropriate money every year to build q certain number of miles, each year and let the rest go without spending money on them. if they were it all pass