Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-12-07
HOW TO GET GOOD ROADS.
Colonel A. A. Pope Suggests n Succession
TAz-Road Engineering.

CoioucA n. a. rope HukkcHAs y
TAI-Road Engineering.
In the congress on good roads al
Chicago recently. Colonel a. \. Pope Of
Boston presented paper which was at
tentiyely listened to. Among OtheI
things he said: Aside from questions
Of material gain, which is perhaps the
lowest standpoint, to consider the good
that comes from easy means of com
munion, there is to be borne in mind
that good roads are the great highways
for the advancement of social life, edu-
cation and Christianity. The visits OF
friends, the attendance of children al
school and the gathering together at
church, are all governed to a greater
or less extent by the condition of the
roads, and the abandonment of the
farms and the crowding of people in the
cities is due largely to the isolation
caused by bad means of communication
to and from the farm. But the problem
to be solved is 10 provide money to build
good roads.
Many farmers are opposed to the good
road movement because they believe ii
means to them increased taxation and in
some sections of the country agricultural
| interests are - depressed that they don't
feel able to bear financial burdens II
has been estimated that the state Of Hi
| nOis loses every year 800. OOO. 900 because
of bad roads.
Now. am going To urge a plan
which. l believe to he the least burden
some and the most effectual and equi-
| table for providing good roads. Let each
| state establish graduate succession tax
that is, a tax ON property passing 10y
succession, by Inheritance or by legacy
| Such a tax might be arranged as follows
On all estates valued nj $4,000 up Il
| 100000, per cent: ON estates of ovel
| $lO0. 900 up to 800 900. per cent on the
first 100000 and , per cent on the re
mainder. and 81 on. gradually increasing
the amount Is the inheritance Increased
| The Succession tax will not fall on tn,
| poor. Those whose estates amount L
| $4,000 can we'll afford 10 give 800 Il
the state III return for all the protection
of its laws which has enabled wealth Il
be accumulated and enjoyed.
Good roads, when rightly construct
| ed, can be maintained At comparativel,
small cost. and as the wealth of the
states increases the succession tax woult
| furnish sufficient revenue to meet all ex
penses of the state after paying for tn,
maintenance of the road"
OF equal interest was a paper by Pro
fessor Lewis NJ. Haupt of Philadelphia
on road engineering and construction
He gave statement of the total tonnag,
of the railroads i'll the United States il
1891, amounting to 704. 500. 900 tons car
ried an average distance of I15 miles
and giving n ton mileage of Sl.2i0, lJ4
! 600. This movement cost the shipper
$3.50. 254 ,430.
To produce this result there has beer
| invested in railroads the incomprchensi
| BILE sum of $40. 3s9. ~. 22S, an average O
| SOL SIS per mile. and it has paid fair It Y
enue. The speaker then showed th'
| enormous economy resulting from re
duced resistanccs of lucUmotion. as in
stanced by the waterways. and cited tn
case of the improvements on the grca
lakes, where total expenditure, Of $50.
600, 600 had saved i'll the cost Of trans
/ pOrtation by water. as compared witt
! rail. nearly $50. UO0. 900 i'll on,. YEAR
I In closing his lals'r he said that '-whil
/ the rapid progress made bv the mite,
States since, $50 was dine largely 10 tn
| instrumentahty Of her railroads. tn
/ greatness of Great Britain was attribut
! able mainly L. her foreign commerce. il
which she utilized the cheapest known
methods of transportation, while tn
! thrift frugality and wonderful rycuper
ativc powers Of both France and CieI
many Were due chiefly Ia their gorr
roads and numerous Internal waterways
as we'll as tn their rulicy of protecting
I home industries.
With intelligent, liberal and patriots
! legislation. with uur unlimited resources
with over lNO .UsO mikes of railways p. 90
/ miles Of coast lin,- and l6.Ssl miles u
! navisablr rivers i'll the Mississippi basil
alone, with unrivalt,l physical l-'~sihili
ties for intraCuI>tal canals. There l. IL
reason why our glorious country Shout,
not lis, to the zenith IF her greatness b,
combining all the elements which hav
conspirtd To- enrich and cum"blc the olde
nations Of the eastern hemisphere
Our people as Il whole need 10 I've i'm
pressed with the Importance of securing
cheaper transportation and l,' made /
realize that our common roads are
most serious obstruction to our other
wise phenomenal growth. When tina
is accomplished. and from present iudi
cations the heaven Is working rapidly
the road problem will w. satisfactory
solved. Washington Star.