The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-06-10
WHY OUR ROADS ARE BAD.
Causes Of Slow Development of the
American Highways.


While the people of the American
states have furnished examples of
almost phenomenal enterprise and
achievement in other directions,
the construction and management
of their public highways have been
singularly loose. unsystematic and
improyident. Except in some of
the New England states and some
in New York and northern New
Jersey adjacent to the city of New
York. there can scarcely be said to
be ANYTHING like a system of public
highways constructed with reference
to permanence, durability and
affording the best service to the
community at all seasons. There
are, of course, local exceptions
where by individual or associated
enterprise. aided by special condi-
tons as TO surface and natural
character of the soil or proximity to
bodybuilding material, good roads
have been constructed, but they
are few in number and limited in
extent.
The commissioner of agriculture,
in his report for the year 1888,
commenting upon the Importance
Of the common roads as the feeders
to the railroads of the county, made
use of the following suggestive state
ments:
"Whlle our railway system has
become the most perfect in the
world, the common roads of the |
United States have been neglected |
and are inferior to those of any
other civilized country in the world.
They are deficient in every neces-
sary qualification that is an attri-
butte to good road-in direction,
in slope, in shape and service, and.
most of all, in repair. These def
ciences have resulted not only from
an ignorance Of the true principles
Of roadmaking, but also from the
varied systems of bodybuilding in
force in the several states Of the
Union, due to defective legislation.
The principles upon which the sew
eral states have based much of their
road legislation is known as the road
tax system of personal service and
Communication, which IS unsound as
principle, unjust in its operations.
wasteful IN its practice and unsat-
isfactory IN its results. tits relic
of feudalism, borrowed from the
statue labor of England, and Its
evil results are to-day apparent in
the neglected and i'll conditioned
common roads of the country"
And as the benefits to be secured
by change in these conditions,
the commissioner forcibly adds:
"By the improvement of these COM
mon roads every branch of our
agricultural, commercial and man.
ufacturing industries would be
materially benefited. Every article
brought to market would be dimin-
ished in price; the number of horses
necessary as a motive power would
he reduced, and by these and other
retrenchments million of dollars
would be annually saved to the pub
lie. The expense of repairing roads
and the wear and tear OF vehicles
and horses would be essentially |
diminished, and thousands of acres
Of land. the products of which |
are now wasted in feeding unneces-
sary animals in order to carry on
this character of transportation,
would be devoted to the production
Of food for the inhabitants of the
country. In fact, the public and
private advantages which would
result from effecting this great OBJ
iect IN the improvement of our
highways are incalculable, not only
to the agricultural community as
nation"
Undoubtedly one of the chief
reasons for the hardness IN the
development of complete system
of the United States is to be found
in the unexampled rapidity of
growth and immense extent of our
railroad system, and the facilities it
has afforded for intercommunica-
ton over vast areas and between
widely separated portions of the
country. By furnishing the means
for regular and speedy communica-
ton over long distances, the neces-
sity for other and more primitive
methods has been rendered less
urgent and imperative. In some
portions of the country-especially
in the west-the railroad has even
preceded the common roads; and
yet the Importance of the latter as
feeders to the former in agrcultu.
raj OF commercial sections is so
apparent that no intelligent rail
road man can fail to recognize it or
refuse to encourage the development
Of the common roads without dis