The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-17
THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY.
Interesting Things for the Far
mers to Consider.

Above the entrance of the transporta-
tion building at the Worlds Columbian
Exposition can be seen this quotation
taken from the writings of Francis
Bacon: "There be three things which
make nation great and prosperous;
fertile soil, busy workshops, and easy
transportation for men and goods from
place to place" The appropriateness
of such superscription may be readily
seen, for within that structure are
placed for inspection every means of
transportation from the baby carriage,
wheeled by the tender nurse, to the
mighty engines, propelled by the almost
uncomfortable power OF steam and cleo
tricity.
Taking this to be fair definition, or
rather allowing that these are the re-
quisites for great nation, it behooves
the American, citizen to ask himself
where it places his native land in the
category of the worlds nations. AS to
the first two conditions a mere glance at
the statistics of amount of production
and manufacture In our country in
single year will convince the casual
observer that our nation Justly stands
at the top in both these lines, and it
requires, too, but mere glance to SEQ
that we are as far behind in the matter
OF easy conveyance as we are ahead in
other industries.
The United States must be placed as
a two-thirds great and prosperous ma
ton; in other words, waving of all other
claims as to the retrogression OF our
national life made by the chronic kick
ers of political parties, our country lacks
one third being great.
1t cannot be urged that because our
railway system is equal to, if it does
not surpass, any in the world. Tho
last clause in Bacon's definition does
not exclude America from the list, for
it must be rememb ered that in Bacon's
time the very mention of such thing
would have caused broad smile to
come over the face of the sturdy Eng
| lish yoeman, and further that mate.
rally all of the goods shipped over the
railroads have been hauled over the
| public road to the station so that the
carload of wheat from the Missouri
farm, which is being ground into flour
| at the Minneapolis mills, was not easily
transported there, however smooth and
rapid may have been the speed of the
train, inasmuch as the road from the
| granary to the station was rough and
uneven, and were the truth of the
matter known there is very little differ
ence in the time it takes to get the
wheat to the car and that required in
getting it to the mill, though the differ
| ence in distance is many miles.
| We must admit that there is press.
ing need for road reform. 1t is ques.
tion which touches every citizen of the
country from the lowest to the highest.
The man on the Bowery or the Midway
Plaisance need not think that, because
he does not travel the by paths of the
| Alleghanies, the question does not con-
| Germ him.
1t concerns to greater or less de-
| gree every breadwinner. clothes. wearer
and pleasure seeker of the United
States, and as such each one should be
3 road worker; not that every one shou Id
shoulder the shovel or ply the pick for
the time required by the law, for that
class OF men are not the real road
workers. The man who urges upon his
neighbor the necessity for such a step;
the legislator who votes for the passage
| OF bills, causing a speedy change; the
| representative who enacts laws provid.
ing for the relief of his constituents
from highways which should long since
have been relegated 10 the age Of bar
barism where they belong, are road.
workers in the true sense of the term.
But to be moro practical. Suppose,
reader, that every farmer in your county
should contribute literally according to
his means towards the establishment of
firm, smooth and attractive roads, which
would not be washed out by every
shower, roads which would hold in
winter as we'll as summer, l take the
farmer because he is the one who re-
ceives the most direct benefit and be-
cause tho great movement of road
building cannot be carried on with any
degree of success until the American
farmer becomes interested in it. Hero
are some of the results:
First, he could haul his products to
market at any time OF the year instead
OF in summer; at present he sells his
wheat in the fall at 60 cents because he
can't get it to market when it sells for
Is cRnta. Exactlu the aanna Gan ha a ID