Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-08
WANTS HARD ROADS.
An Illinois Farmer Presents a Few IRE.
futab1e Arguments

An Illinois Farmer Presents a Few IRE.
futab1e Arguments.
If you will take the trouble to find
the amount of road and bridge tax that
is spent by our commissioners; then add
to it the amount that the taxpayers
are allowed to work or visit out under
the supervision of the ''pathmasters;"
then add the poll tax at S1.25 per day,
you will find that it is not the want of
means that makes our roads so bad,
but it is the way the money is spent
that causes the roads to be in the con-
dition they are. One-half of the money
spent in each township if used to make
hard roads would make several miles
eoch year. ''Ah!' says one, ST thought
you were opposed to hard roadsI' I am
certainly opposed to voting an increase
of tax to build hard roads under the
present system, but the only way we
will ever have good roads is to use
gravel, stone or burnt clay in the form
of brick. We have tried every form of
dirt road that can be thought of and it
is failure with us at certain times and
under certain conditions, and the de-
mand at this age is a road that can be
used at all times The dirt road is like
the '1ittle girl who had a little curb
'swhen she was good she was very, very
good, but when she was bad she was
horrid''
Now we have proved that one judge
at our fairs does the work better than
three. ] think the same rule will ap-
ply to our road commissioners. If we
have but one we will not have so many
adjourned meetings for the benefit OF
+ 1of A11 \
the responsibility all rested on one man
he would give some thought to the
work. and there would be no one else
to lay the blame on for the mistakes he
might make.
Then let us have the runds divided
equalIy-one-half to be used to keep
the roads in repair, the pathmasters to
be instructed to haul all the gravel they
| can on the worst places in their re
spective districts, and the commission
ers to use the other half to make hare
| roads, beginning on the one thai
| is most used and at the end near
est the county seat or leading trad
| ing station. If we will do this it viii
| be but few years until each township
| will have one leading road made good
| and the worst places fixed on the others
and then we have the largest part done
for the leading roads are the ones tina
get the worst owing to the grea
amount of heavy hauling done on them
After we have demonstrated that w,
can make good roads as cheaply as poo
ones we will be willing to vote an in
crease of tax to hurry the good worl
| along.
AS to the material I believe there i
more gravel and stone than most PEG
pie think. There are places on on
prairies where there is plenty of grave
from two to five feet below the surface
Coal is cheap and burned clay or bricl
makes good road material. AS the ole
saying is where there is will there i:
a way" and if we make up our minds
to have good roads the material will b,
found. Now let US agitate this roa
question and try change. We hav
| been turning the dirt over for abou
forty years and have not found the goos
side yet, so let us try something else
w. 6. Walker, in Breeders Gazette.