Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-16
TO IMPROVE ROADS.
a Work That Texans Should
Keep IN Sight.
lowANs DISCUSS MANY PLANS.
Work Of The Farmers Admitted 10 Be Faulty
and Radical Changes Suggested Prop
osilion 10 cenlralizs the Work
BY Authority Of Congress-

UnfNfN
/ country roads IN the state, began is an
uun meeting hero today
Ex-Governor Lurrnhec. who had pre-
pnred paper on the subject Of Inc
| practicahility aud ECONOMY Of Hard
Roads for Iowa. was unable % DC prcs-
emit. and the paper was read by J. a.. Ber-
ryhill, of this city. " was an exhaustive
essay, dealing largely with he historical
phnsc Of the subject.
John COwuie of Iowa county led the
discuss iouon the paper. lie was greatly
Interested In the subject Of good roads.
but much had been written about u with
which hc could not agree. The charge
that farmers do not do faithful work ON
the roads, he said. Is nonsense There Is
no use of talking about the hard roads Ia
Iowa. The great roads ~ Europe were
constructed az military roads There was
no need for military roads ia Iowa. Aside
from the difference iu cost Of producing
hard roads in this country and in Europe.
the location of the roads differs. There
the main road winds along the valleys
and hundreds Of farmers use the road.
Here there Is q road on every section
line What will the farmers say who do
not live on the improved roadf They will
strongly object to the tax
But roads must be- improved. AT real
lie that We do not need n lot Of now
officers and engineers An ngincer can
not teach fnrmer how % grade q road
with the means at hand. Help cannot be-
found 20 work upon the rOuds. Tho fur
mors must continue 10 do the road work.
but not under the present -lipshOd meth
obs. There vs. one effective scheme of
improvement That Is tile drainage. Tho
best road in the speakers locality last
spring was through what had formerly
been nm impossible slough. but which had
been tile-druiupd The farmers cannot do
Ia
be begun aud finished The labor must
be hired.
~ FAVOR OF GRADING AND TIL
Charles I.owdcr told of some of the
difficulties with public runls u Indiana,
which were finally rrmcdirl hy the use
of plenty of gravel lie favored The use
of graded and gravclcd roads lie did
not think any special legislation was
A. v Stout agreed with Mr.. Cownie
Ia believing TINT 10 rs unjust 90 oritcisc
tue Iowa farmers for their methods Of
working roads. What is needed is "a coun-
selling among the men who do tile work
upon the roads More hns bccp done i'm
the last i've years than in the fifteen
proceeding. Tho road grading machine
has much to do with this condition Grad
ing and thing arc working out the saliva
ton of Iowa roads
Judge y. H. Thnyer, editor of the Clin-
ton Age, read ma exhaustive aud able pa
per on the subject of Government Aid
In Making Public roads, lie opened
by speaking Of the importance Of good
ronds as follows.
"Prcmmiug the country means busi-
ness In all this agitation of road making.
/ suggest llmt there are two things es-
sonttul before much Roadway can be
nude m the Improvement contemplated
first, the organization Of body, either
clothed with legal power on that Will
take the responsibility TO assume the
power, 10 call together "a congress of
the most skilled and eminent engineers
OF the country 10 consider the
best plan or plans for building
roads, and, second. TO f0rmu-
for building roads and second, 10 forinu-
late n system for raising money Ina suf-
hcienl sums 10 carry ON road making ON
a scale largo enough 10 secure satisfac-
tory results from the money eXppndpd
A national league for good roads Inns N
temporary organization which will serve
nn excellent purpose Ia setting ga notion
the machinery 80 essential 10 the success
OF so great AN undertaking. Granting
thnt tue league mny la some way got to-
gcthcr such nn asscmblugc of engineers,
which may evolve and develop some plan
That VIII meet with poulnr approval. 4
come Co consider the second prupo.iton
rcmurkng that neither the Town nssocin.
ton nor the National league for good
roads, Ina which organizations j have the
honor OF holding membership H. RESPONSE
bic for anything / may say.
Il put q plan of road building first be-.
cause that is first in importance, aud if
the systom defined shall hy cxpcrieuce
be found to be the host thetNs will hp
millions upon millions ct dollars snyed.
as compared with u Fystom thnt shall
not boar the test Of time. 4 practical
plHn OF road-mukiur. plan by which
TIE greatest number of mipB of pal1ua.
nent road can he built with the SIMPLEST
sum OF money will be ot almost untold
value 10 the country. Hence, the country
can afford to call together liz best tnlent
20 consider this subject aud tho most
skilled engineers In the land can afford
20 rcspond To such a call no hliug
about THIS grcut reform / hclieyn thV
wiscst thing that can be done win be
for the nutional government aud ho
stnte, operating through lbs suh.tivisions
10 unite In the undertaking.
COST or Rad ROADS.
As TO the cost of had ronds In the
United States, Judge Thayrr suys. ~
have made a careful computation from
such data as ! have brpn able 10 Obtain
OF the cost of Ind roads (which figures
VIII Do puhlishrdl, and / lind they tuX
what IS understood to boz Agricultural
products fully Sl31,OOO, 600 annually /
think it moderate estimate 10 PM the
other contributions 10 bad roads bv The
remaining traffic of the country nc an
equal amount making total of S27O,-
The SPEAKER thought that United States
bonds for road improvements could M
noutcd at = IL per Cont The method
az using tho money is thus outlined.
SUPPOSE, for illustration, that the amount
OF these bonds was $40 Co each inhnbi.
Wnt distributed among tho states in
proportion 10 the population. holding
euch states shave IN reserve until the
condition upon which its apporuonment
ls Netnorl4ed X complied with hy the
| respective stntes, ana issue the houdq
Ia sums aud at times 10 suit the cnnyrn.
| fence OF the state; limiting the tme Whom
tee sintos should participate In this M.
vision, holding the states responsible for
the interest ana principal, and they in
| turn looking Co their subdivisions whore
the money was spent 20 make such nav
| menL Lot the terms he such ns to- ~.
| cnre the building Of The largest possible
| number OF nile OF road of "a grade orclnss.
| which shall be defined by ,an act of CON.
| gross as a condition precedent 10 lonn.
| ing its cpdit; the government 10 bc nv
| speclho IN cnumeradng the details of
foad-Wokng as the Aocompli shmant OF
| the obiect la view shall require dealing
| with states, leaving 20 the statos eNclu.
ions
Tho plan would be Cor the state IA
subscribe from time to time for surh
an amount Of thcso bonds a. no mn,
/ divisions would consent to uae. In con.
sioetglfiou Of Tho fran AMI ,,,.,...t ~. 4