Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-06-09
O BETTER ROADS.

At a recent session of the Illinois Hard Road Convention b
WHEREAS, Heretofore the interest and enthusiasm in the goods d
hsye dia d esRe', whsn a seta1sd fs ~eat5sr i haa m ss as1 + Srt for ra,d s ess 6,
and, =
the use thereof unless we have a powerful public sentiment fapaaaE
good roads which can be obtained and held only by persistent, coHas /
RESOLVED, That this convention appoint a Committee of Edaain
improvement, whose duty it shall be to collect information sbsa;a
advantages of good roads, their cost, the best means of proyidns
n Information a1a a na aaa as s' possible Bsa' by the I plssz and oths spa ag ssa arf'si q !
oonvent yea Of +b ha5 a re sO@ = no ii sTe nar 9G sp an5 aede e attend En- s ssson
adoption of a plank in their platform indorsing the object for whagg
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed hereafter hu,s
i hns@osn public p1 1's roads ais't to oup next ae pF fesisa sne R ana to OF use pt s5il no
endeavors to secure such legislation IS may be necessary to pronde a
WHEREAS, Being opposed to convict labor coming in coDtaas {
free labor, we demand that convict labor be utilized in impr0vaE
public highways. n
WIDE WAGON TIRES AND DRAINAGE o.
Levi Chu5buck, Secretary: at
am going to write you a few lines in regard to roads, in which, II
, : - Much b has b @sn said Gsp and arS @ae1 du 1nfHtst the past year on this sud
nnd Of fifty y articles rtnI eli clipped n1 from different newspapers in this sIaa.a
~ responsible for the condition of our highways. My motto has bspI
water getting on the roadebed from the outside Second, wide tires h.
vehicles excepting one and tTo-seat carriages: In
e seiasa Of on w tnsm dT0 tons sc or 4ooo eT pounds asd gfGsa, which ts y would EdA u Il
should be required. Thus, three tons, fveinch four tons, ixinta
and so on. In France no freight wagon has less than six-inch tires, 81
thereby 4g smoothing soI or rolling two feet oI more Of road,bed at each para
not reached on all wagons until fourteen inches is on wheels of the hH
tonnage. ~
Now unless the Legisatr re of this State 1egislate the narrow ts
OF existence, there is little use in being to any expense except draiu91
lettering the roads. In nine years residence in the heart of Kansas en
had a continual objectlesson of narrow tires rapidly destroying any sh
kinds of pavement, even Medina stone, q
For many years l have been satisfied that narrow tires were thee
OF more damage to the people of this State than the hog cholera, for,
is only at intervals, and only affects a portion of the farmers who nf
unfortunate as to lose more or less of their hogs, while narrow ts
doing their mischief every day and every hour, destroying the most =
roads and streets. On roads that sustain a heavy traffic gravel or maasR
Is needed, but with wide tires less than one-half the thickness sn
required. ! have two widetired wagons for general use, and don't al
narrow-hred one on my farm under any circumstances. There is me-
In a year when a team cannot haul a heavier load on a wide tire thslT
narrow one. L have had four years practical experience with wide tire
| speak. G
Inc cost OF changing a common farm wagon of one and ones
men te TO fourlnch steel tire one-fourth or fye-sixteenths in thFaF-
VIII fall between twelve and sixteen dollars, and Legislatures OFF,
States have allowed one years time to make the change. OF course sMe
wagons built In this State or shipped in would be built wide at a small.
ABOVE the worthless one and one-halfinch in general use now lL,
position you can agitate the two practical points L have mentioned inne
papers IN every county in the State, and by the time the Legislature l[
again public sentiment will demand such legislation. Colmans y
Nord and the Ohio Farmer both charge the impossible condition. e
roads where 1t belongs to narrow tires. Yours respectfully,
Iathrop, Mo. GEO. A. PATCH. {.