The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-12
ROAD REFORM.

Colonel Albert A. Pope of Boston is
doing for this country work of educa-
ton which will entitle his name to be
enrolled among those of great benefac-
tors.
By the most intelligent, systematic
and persistent effort, sparing no labor
or expense, he has aroused the press,
the colleges, the clubs, the railroad
arrangements and many state legisla-
lures to discussion of the one most
immediate and pressing need of the
people-the improvement, or rather we
should say, the creation of good and
permanent highways.
To be sure, others had written and
spoken on the subject before him, but
only in 'some pent up Utica" During
the fore part of this century the general
government built great national road"
and several of the states built or author
lied municipalities or companies to
build turnpikes, some of which are good
to-day. But factory and railroad build
ing and the rapid settlement of the great
West diverted capital and attention so
that outside few cities and large towns,
the street and highway policy has been
tempOrizing. For the moment it was
cheap; in the long run it has proved very
expensive.
The time is now ripe for change.
The most careful investigations esti-
mate that good roads would save the
people of this country about $3.50, 000,0 900
a year in the cost of transportation.
They would add greatly to the attract
iveness of the rural districts, make farms
less isolated, agriculture an occupation
less stunned, and would generally in
crease the value of real estate. Union
county. New Jersey, is case in point.
In recent address, Mr.. Chauncy B.
Ripley said that this county had been
put forward fifty years on the dial of
progress and prosperity. There is
real estate boom in every city and town
ship of the country, and land is worth
and is selling for from 10 to so per cent
more than during the two previous de-
cades."
1t is not the purpose of this frt Gle to
discuss methods. Different states will
try different methods and probably
much money will be lost In experiment
ing, which might be saved by study.
Colonel Pope tried in vain to get an ade-
quate appropriation from Congress for
suitable exhibit of Methods, materials,
machinery, etc., at the Worlds Fair, and
has since tried to have the management
bring together in one building exhibits
pertaining TO the subject which had been
unwisely distributed among several.
By private contributions this may vet
be done; but whether it is or not, public
interest has been sufficiently awakened
so that visitors to the fair will seek the
exhibits and will carry to their homes
many valuable suggestions.
There is now magazine entitled
Good Roads, and it is agood magazine.
Many practical treatises are being pub
lished, and by means of illustrations
any person can see how to build a good
road under varying conditions of soil,
climate and material. The first great
object has been to arouse public interest;
that has been largely achieved. The
next is education in the economy of
good roads and in methods of construc-
ton, and that is going forward. Every
piece of good road in town will be an
educator and an advocate. Before long
every community will see that it must
have good highways or it will get badly
and speedily left in the race for wealth.
Next to sound currency and a pro-
tective tariff, good roads will prove the
greatest promoters of good markets, of
development and external COM
merce, that this country can have, now
that railroads extend wherever they will
pay. 1t will be but a few years, we
predict, when Americans
will look back with astonishment that
they we're content to founder so long
through the mud and sand-Home Mar
ket Bulletin.