Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-05-05

tirely clear, from the farmers there will
always be active and stubborn opposi-
ton.
1t has been suggested that the Amer-
can roads be placed under system
OF Government supervision, and be
divided somewhat as the French roads
are:
First, national roads. These to be
built and maintained by the General
Government, and be located with refer
ence to military and postal require
ments.
Second, State roads. These to be
built and maintained by the several
States, and connect the various locali-
ties OF the States, and be planned with
reference to the national roads.
Third, county or neighborhood roads.
These TO be built and maintained by
counties and townships, and be located
with reference to the classes just men
toned.
Those who advocate this idea say that
If our common roads were improved by
some such plan as this, we should soon
have them in charge Of competent and
educated engineers. The national roads
would pi obably be in charge Of army
engineers; the State roads in charge of
engineers graduated from the agricul-
tural and mechanical schools; and the
neighborhood roads in charge of local
men, who, once having had the example
set them of how good roads are built,
would he entirely competent to do what
is usually necessary to be done in max
ing a road of lesstr Importance. But
even under such plan as this, each
county should have all engineer to de-
sign the difficult work, determine upon
the location of routes, and inspect con-
structions and repairs.
The Location of Highways.
When a railroad is contemplated be-
tween two distant points, careful sur
veys are made by competent engineers
before q route is finally selected. All
the preliminary lines which have been
run are carefully put down on a map,
estimates are made as to the cost of
building and maintaining each, and fur
Their calculations elaborated as to the
traffic which each of the lines would be
able to secure and accommodate.
When the roads which traverse parts
of the United States were originally laid
out, they were planned without refer
ence to any great system which should
at once answer immediate requirements
and last for all time. When the popula-
ton became denser, and roads, being
more traveied, were found to be in
adequate, there was an effort made in
all such places to build perman ent roads,
but in the majority of cases the old
haphazard location Of the roads was
deemed to be good enough, and these
tracks through the forests and over the
prairies were adopted as permanent
highways. AS traffic again increased,
these roads were again found to be in
adequate, and the statesmen of the
country saw very plainly that the poor
roads which prevailed nearly all over
the United Statee seriously menaced
the prosperity OF the people. Then be-
gan on large scale a plan OF highway
Improvement by which various States
should be connected with each other. Be-
fore these great national roads assisted
by the Government had been completed,
the railway came into being, and the
attention Of mez was directt to making
these new iron highways. The great
systems of common roads were neg
lected, and the care and construction OF
country roads passed back TO each
county and township, and 50 they have
remained neglected. uncared Tor, q
heavy tax on land and all that land
produces. and the great contributing
cause which takes to the overcrowded
cities from farms and villages the most