The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-03-11

A team hauling ore through Charlemont,
Mars. Fnur-insh tires; weight PEI inch Of tire,
$50 pounds; ruis, Il incht7l Chst for hauling
every ton OF freight one mile over this foldi 81
cents.
twenty let. e. With! snd the rest OF
the road land were sold or rented. Hi;
nois would thereby save Immediately
about thirteen millions of dollars, be-
sides tiIe pToduTS forever of the land
restored to cultivation.
This ought to be law, and rigidly ei:'
forced; That every inch of land taken
by the public for roads should be ac-
tuaIly used for roads, and be kept SO
thoroughly worked hat 10 weeds nor
noxious insects could possibly grow
thereon.
The state taa rowAr 70 restore this
unused land to residents ai5Gd tbs road
lines, either by absolute sale. or Gy
perpetual rental; at appraised valua-
tons, the pricS To be paid into the high.
way fund, TO help make sC'd ROADS.
This would offer to farmers at once a
great iDduccment to construct good
roads, provided the law should SO re-
store unused road lands only wherever
first class roads are constructed and
maintained.
The magnificent roads Of France are
the delight of all travellers. France
only takes 50 much land for roads as is
actually used. The greatest of the
Napolconic roads are only forty feet
wide, broadencd in passing through
cities and large villages to sixty feet
Every foot of the width is paved,
smooth and durable, with stone gut
tiers and curbs. Near and in villages
there are sometimes narrow sidewalks
next TO the curb lines. The land is
cultivated clear up to the curb lines.
The roads, not being fenced, appear
like great gravel or paved paths run
ming through an endless garden. All
the less important side roads crossing
these great highways are narrow lanes,
only fifteen to twenty feet wide, also
generally paved. The statistics of
French agriculture prove that the
land thus saved more than pays, by its
profitable use, the entire cost of road
maintenance.
In England, also, the traveller finds
broad and splendid highways between
important towns, with narrow lanes
for all unimportant roads.
Do these magnificent roads pay far
ers? Yes. They are the greatest pub
lie benefit the farmer has. In France
the ordinary load for n French farm
market wagon is four to five tons for a
single pair of horses. Often seven to
ten tons are taken to market. driven
by three or four horses. A whole
stack of hay-a load sixteen feet long,
eight feet wide or ten or twelve feet
high, is taken to market in one load,
as are 40 bushels of potatoes or grain.
Now see how this pays. An Illinois
farmer, living eight or ten miles from
market, hauls one ton to market in one
day. Say this ton is worth $40. The
French farmer hauls fire tons at one
load. worth 500. So the French farm
er markets five times as much in one
days work as the Illinois farmer. The
postman goes out daily on all these
French roads, letting the farmers
know every change of market prices.
Do prices rise, the French farmer hauls
to market at one load five or ten tons,
and gets the benefit OF the rise The
Illinois farmer Gf he hears of the
rise) hauls one ton only, and before he
can get any more to market the price
falls again.
These are facts that are worth the
careful study of every politician, every
legislator. every farmer, and especially
every farmers club or other orgauiza-
toni. j. Bates, in Chicago Bearings.