The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-03-20
SARGE PLUNKETT.
THE OLD MANLINGERS ALONG WITH
THE ROAD WORKERS.
How Public Roads Should be Worked-A
Great Difference of Opinion Among
the Men Who Work the Roads.
For The Constitution.


Smoke is on the mountain, the blrdS
sing sweet and the shines bright, put
the hickory buds are belated and I'm afraid
she is not here-soring, mean.
rms morning down in the field 1 watched
the dogS race with a rabbit and saw lneih
roll Ind tumble in the plowed ground as
they ran over him and got turned PACK
only IN time to him Scoot INTO Tue
prlarS at a little branch to one SIDE. Inc
boys stopped their plows and yelled IN Such
manner as to call back the spring morn
lngs OF years long agone, but | am scared
to count on such signs. A better sign l
thought L had at noon today, as l watched
BfoWn saunter along up the spring bfancn
with his hoe on his shoulder. He fingered
on the little fence just back of the house
long enough to lesurely bite of his niger
nails before he started for his seat on the
BACK porch, where he always stops 10 pun
Off his shoes in warm weather. When L
| saw him frail his socks against post
| as is his way during work time, / was
! almost ready to think that spring was mere,
but the summer grin was lacking on his
| face and for that | shall watch before
announce that 'She is here"
l fingered along with the roadWorkers yes
| terday. Woodworking is another sign OF
| Springer course they will wait till pretty
/ weather and busy time to warn hands to
| the roads. The matter of working the pub.
| lie roads has grown to be a much talked OF
| problem 70 see what scanty force IS
| i'll attendance at these roadWorkings IS dlS-
| couraging to the few who must work and
| removes all cause for surprise at the
| bad condition of public roads as one travels
| along them. Under some spreading tree
| along with these roadWorkerS is the place
to find the correct way of doing most any
| thing you may name The average road
worker has plenty Of time to study ana
| discuss any problem" that may come up.
| On the green grass under tree along the
road they supposed to be working is the
| best place l have ever seen to get opinions
on woodworking. They are all opposed to
| the present system, but hardly two agree
as to just how it is to be reme-
died. Most all are in favor of turning the
| changang to advantage in this way, put
many diSagreements cohie up about their
! management ana of the moral effect upon
! the crminally disposed class. Some say
| thai the most of these criminals, if worked
| on Jthc public roads in their own counties,
would have no horror of being convicted,
| and that younger set becoming falnilidr
| with the gangs along the roads would be
| ready to embrace it at the first opportu-
| nifty.
| The expense to taxpayers and the lnSe-
cuEty of keeping the worst criminals, is
another question with these road workers.
| One suggestion | had never heard be-
FORE was to build good roads and charge
toll The advocate of this plan stated as
| his position that the state should build
| good thirty feet roads-one-half macada-
| mixed, the other dirt, side by side, but so
| one to the other except at stated places.
| AT these places there should be toll gate
| and "nickel i'll the slot for fare should
| be collected if the macadanized side was
used. OF course, in good weather there
, would be no collections, every one would
| travel the dirt road, but in bad weather,
on the other hand. every one would pay the
toll and take the solid road. A toll gate
every five miles under this plan would not
be extravagant and would pay all the
\. H., hat, IL.
u. opinion of this advocate that there will
Il no grumbling on charges, as every one
= esSould rather pay for a good road than to
IL stock a bad road ! think 1T would
mighty hard to keep people from grum-
g and / know not what would be the
! st plan, but that the present system of
" working public roads IS unsatisfactory
one only has to Iinger almg with the road
Nhrlers to be convinced.
| Eome are already planting corn in our
! settlement and to judge by what you hear
there will be a large acreage planted and
| a small acreage of cotton, but 1t Is hard
to tell how this will be, talk is not
| sustained in many instances. 1t is hard to
| make many farmers believe that there is
| any more cotton made in these years than
! in years long ago. These argue that it is
| Just the bales made smaller now than Tor
merly 1t is fact, they say, that 300
| pounds is the average bale now, where it
used to be 500, and that the men who fix
up the statistics give no credit for this de
| ficiency. The truth is, that with all the
talk every year about this time, the farm
ers put i'll about all the cotton they can
handle, and Il further truth Is that when
| YOU come to calculate on the price paid for
seed now there is just rs much money goes
to the farmer from the crop In old times
cotton seed were worthless, now they are
| good for more things than any other one
! thing grown and new developments come
| every day | might add another truth here
| Inv 81 ia hJ m ~
PEELED to raise cotton. Nothing outside of
| what is known as market gardening, will
| bring the money he is compelled to have as
| easily as does cotton-cotton is money when
! you get it in the bale, and nothing else is.
There was Il cloud thrown over the dreams
of our settlement about the exposition the
! other day, but it has cleared away and 1t
| is again all the talk-outside Of politics.
| OF course, politics is the foremost question,
and it is mighty hard for me to steer clear
of it, but | will, for it is most as uncertain
! as the weather.
The last mule Brown snapped for will
| stop every time any one speaks to you, no
matter cow You trail. | started from home
| the other morning at o'clock. and with
| all the trailing | could do, | had not tray
eled but three miles by noon. | turned back
| for home and managed to get there by
dark Good morning old FRIEND form the
corner of fence, and the mule w0uld stop.
How you, Plunkett?' from under
tree. and the mule would stop. There is no
| getting the mule to go till you've passed
Il half-hours talk. Many of these fellows who
called me 'old friend | never saw before,
| and many who were glib with How are you,
Plunkett?' never noticed me before in all
! their lives. | got mighty mad with the mule
and for a time l wondered at meeting so
many people and such clever people, but af-
ter Il while it struck my mind that every
one of them was running for office. Every
office from bailiff to governor was repre-
scented by these clever fellows. pro and con,
| and | don't know which one | will vote for,
! but one thing l do know, | will never start
| anywhere with that mule till this election
| is settled.
/ Up the road down the road,
AT the bridge or by the fo1tA
| Going up or down the hill,
At the store at the mill
The office-Seeker has a stand
TO shake a fellow by the hand