Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-01-18
THE PUBLIC ROAD QUESTION.

dependent: ''The good roads agita-
tion goes merrily on. Subsidized plu-
tocratic sheets, great and small, keep
up continual harping on good roads.
Some OF the great metropolitan dailies
| run cartoons showing up the disad-
vantages of bad roads And what is
all this for? Is it in the interest of the
producing masses? Does it arise from
a patriotic desire to advance the gem
eral welfare? Not at all. It is to di-
vert the minds of the people from the
railroad question and the money ques-
tion. 1t is to secure the issue of county
and district bonds in which the Shy
locks of this country and Europe may
invest. The strongest advocates of
good roads are men who are opposed to
government ownership of railways,
free coinage of silver, the abolition of
trusts, the prevention of option dealing
and every other great measure of re-
form agitated by the people. Let the
people beware how they fall in line un-
der such leadership
But it remained for the Topeka
(Kan. Advocate to turn a flood of light
upon the question in the following
article:
I'VE have been for some time past
receiving numerous circulars, and
marked copies of newspapers from all
parts Of the United Sta9es in which the
improvement of the public highways
was very enthusiastically advocated.
To all outward appearance this wide
spread agitation was the spontaneous
outgrowth of great public necessity,
and yet the very fact that the subject
was taken up at about the same time in
all parts of the country, and was favor
ably treated in the papers irrespective
of party, tended to excite curiosity, if
nothing more, in the mind of the reader
as to the character of the prime motive
behind it all.
"We have not thus far participated
in this discussion, and, for some reason.
we have failed to imbibe any of the
prevailing enthusiasm We have been
watching for developments and fully
expecting that time would reveal the
motive power behind this movement,
and at last the light begins to dawn.
"a few days ago a petition to con-
gress was presented to us for signature,
asking for the creation of the Office of
national road commissioner, and the
establishment of bureau of public
roads with a retinue of national off,
cials, to whose tender care these great
public improvements should be commit
ted. We noticed on that petition the
names of some persons who have here
tofore manifested considerable dread of
paternalism-men who believe the gov
ernment ownership and operation of
the railroads would be dangerous to the
public interests, and who, under no cir
cumstances, would consent to such a
thing There is no doubt that the
country has been flooded with these pc
titions There Is no doubt that they
will be signed by great many people,
and that great pressure will be
brought to bear upon congress to estab-
lish this bureau and create the offices
required to carry out the purposes of
the promoters of this movement. It is
important, therefore, that the people
shall understand just what is believed
the scheme.
"Of course it will not be difficult to
discover the incentive for the creation
OF the new Offices demanded The in
crease OF the public patronage, and the
additional sinecures to be provided are
sufficient object to secure large sup
port to this part of the programme
But what are these officers to do, and
how are they to do it? The revenues
OF the government are insufficient tc
undertake the vast system of improve
ments contemplated without special
provision for the expense. What pro
~ - l.. l. l.
'Since the widespread discussion that
has taken place upon this subject has
awakened some public sentiment in
favor of 1t, some of the newspapers are
beginning the discussion of details. and
in doing this they have let the cat out
of the bag. The same old devil-fish
that for years has been sapping the life
blood of the people is behind all this
agitation for the improvement of our
public roads The scheme contemplates
the issue of new interest bearing gov
srnement bonds which would at once be
purchased by the same sharks, both in
England and America, who have con-
trolled the financial policy of this gov
ernment through the treason of our ma
tional legislators for more than a quar-
ter of a century. The following from
the St Joseph Herald upon the subject
of the bonds is sufficiently explicit to be
understood:
If issued continuously, and to the extent
they probably would be, they should at once
settle the question of the life of the national
banking system, supposed to depend upon the
life of the present government bonds, as they
would be equally as valuable and acceptable as
security for the notes of national banks as the
government bonds now are, which is most i'm
portant consideration: indeed, it would seem
second only to that of the Improvement of the
roads
Here, then, is the real meat in the
cocoanut The issue of new govern
ment bonds, the continual interest
drain upon the industries of the coun-
try that would go to further enrich the
favored few, the perpetuation of the
national banking system. and the in
crease of the public patronage, are the
real motives behind all this agitation,
and not the improvement of the public
highways for the general good. Let
the people understand it and be gov
erned accordingly. The reform press
should proceed at once to turn the
lights upon the scheme
From the Chillicothe correspondent
OF the Rraok6ela tMol Union Is gath.
cred the fact that Livingston county
farmers have passed resolutions which
point out the true method by which we
may improve our roads and employ our
idle labor, at the same time increasing
our volume of currency. Says the I'm
ions correspondent:
Recently the facmers OF this county
held session in our court room and
after an interesting discussion on the
road question passed the following reso-
luton: Resolved, That we favor the
establishment of road department for
the purpose of constructing end main.
tainiIg tuFnpikes IN every congression-
al district in the United States, and
that one million dollars of brand new
United States treasury aotes fereep.
hacIxs1 In addition t,x srs1I,a{ ;r ,,rS.w- 4.