The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1892-06-16
A Dissertation on the I'm
portant Subject Of Coun-
try Roads.
BY Hon. Clem. Studeba-
kel-, of Indiana.
CONTINUED from last week)

The railways have been nightly
instrumental in opening the
country to settlement, and their
swift moving trains carry the
burden of gigantic commerce; but
as well might the deep flowing river
expect to keep its banks full without
the springs and creeks which empty
into it, as for railways to prosper
without the aid of country roads.
Every intelligent manager of a rail
way system is friendly to good
country roads, and it is stated that
the Pennsylvania line, and other
railways, have offered to transport
material for the improvement Of
wagon roads leading to their stations
free of charge We want the rail
roads, but not less surely we want
wagon and carriage roads, which
shall traverse the country in every
direction, connecting the towns and
intersecting the railways like vast
interlacing network of communication,
1t is true that these avenues are in
certain sense already open; it is moi
less true that in the majority of cases
the condition of these highways is
such that their use is available at al
times under disadvantages, and fol
some months or weeks of the year
practically not at all. Sometimes
the disqualification is sand, again il
is steep grades; more often it is
a road-bed, deep, soft and sticky
with mud
The wagon and carriage road system
of the United States ought to b.
under the direction, supervision ano
control of the War Department of thu
national government The officers o
the army are peculiarly well fitted. t.
take charge of this great and import
ant work. Their West Point studio
have given them thorough knowledg
of the theory of civil engineering, AM
many of them have had practice
experience in road making, in tb
establishment of grades, in ditc
digging, the construction of EN-
bankments, and bridge and culver
building, etc, In these piping time
of peace, moreover, they have th
leisure for this work. They ar
practically "out of a job, an
hundreds of them would hail til
charge of this work as welconl
relief from the tedium and listlessnes
!, of post duty or camp life. B'
:, further, they are not only especial
: qualified for the work, and have I'll
time to do it, in their hands tn
branch of operations would
= removed from the danger of beir
harnessed to some political machin
[ am aware that such scheme Fl
national road making as l a
suggesting would be stubborn
opposed by many who would othe
IL wise favor it, unless it could be secur
ly divorced from the possibility of u
to further the ends of any polite
party.
There is another phase of tt
proposed plan that to my mind
enormously in its favor. lt-is th
D. which contemplates, in the pr
secutlon of the work, the employing
Y by the general government of no
or less large body of comm
- laborers. On what precise teri
these men could be most wise
engaged for their own good is rea
an after consideration 1t might
thought best to enlist them for
~ term of years-two, three or ii
~ furnishing them with clothing, ratio
and pay as is now done in the case
the soldiers. There is numerC
Ill class in this country whose enlistmt
as road makers, under an engagem'
Z which would insure to them fru
= living, clothing, shelter, and c
8 when sick, would be boon indie
Political economists will never mi
headway against the growing sp
of socialism until, through
establishment of some perman
,w. agency for the employment of SURF
(Continued on 4th page)