The true northerner., 1894-09-21
FARMERS SHOULD ORGANIZE.



Now IL the Time tn Discuss Methods for
the improvement Of Highways.
"There be three things" said the great
Lord Bacon, "that make a nation great
and prosperous-a fertile soil, busy work.
shops, and easy conveyance for men and
commodities from one place to another"
The first and second Of these requisites
the great west possesses in abundance,
and in abundance that, so far as the
"busy workshops" are concerned, is con-
tinually increasing. In the third it is
sadly deficient. The west and the south
certainly do not have "easy conveyance
for men and commodities from one place
to another"
They have trusted too much to their
railways, forgetful that railways must
be but receivers OF travel that comes
along innumerable lines of highways.
Many farmer who lives three miles
from the nearest railway station spends
more time and worries himself more in
reaching it than in travelling fifty miles
after he has reached it. 1t often costs
more to haul a load Of corn from the
farm TO the railway than to carry it
hundred miles after it is placed on the
cars. 1t often takes longer time to go
for and come back with letter or news
paper from the nearest postoffice than it
does for the lnissive TO come from its
starting place TO the Office.
Many plow goes unrepaired, many a
needed piece of teamwork goes undone
during the long winter months and
forms a needless part of the worry in
getting ready for springtime operations
because of the all but impossible roads
between the farm and the store or the
shop. Country merchants lose trade,
farmers lose money by inability to take
advantage of temporary rise or fall in
the price of produce because of roads
upon which nothing considerable can be
hauled during great part of the year.
There are whole counties which rain
and frost rule with despotic authority
Rain converts the tracks that are digni-
fed by the name Of roads into impassa-
BILE swamps; frost hardens the mud into
ridges and mounds that no horse can
travel without danger of lameness and
across which no heavy weight can be
drawn. The loss to the farmers and
country merchants of the south and west
is not to be counted by hundreds Of
thousands, but by millions yearly, and
it is quite probable that tens of millions
would be needed to express it.
1t is true that vigorous work, and
work that is as intelligent as it is vigor-
Gus, should be done in remedy of the
evil condition into which we have fallen.
Every road district should have its So
ciety for the improvement of highways,
every county should have its central
committee with which the district So
cieties can confer, and every state should
have its yearly convention of societies.
The questions of drainage of roadbeds,
of the possibility of finding gravel, stone
or other material for construction, and
of the comparative merits of roads built
by local corporations that can levy toll,
or by county taxes or by state aid,
should be carefully discussed.
The interest of the public in this i'm
portant matter should be stimulated by
frequent communications to the news
papers, both those of the county seats
and those which have circulation CO.
extensive with the domain of the re-
public. During the winter season farm
ers have much enforced idleness; they
can employ part of it to no better pur-
pose than in striving TO organize move
ment for road improvement Chicago
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