The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-08-23
GOOD ROADS.
HE MOVEMENT GENERAL In
THEIR FAVOR.
Better Public Highways Must
Come---1nterest in Them In
creasing Throughout the Coun-
try---Some Statistics That Will
Prove Instructive Reading.
Baltimore Sun.

one OF tne great forward forces OF that
period. The fact that in a few years
it was developed to that point where
its expert riders could outrun the
swlftest race horse may be forgotten
or ignored. The fact that in less than
two decades it had become the favor
lite means of travel and recreation Of
half million of men and women may
not be recalled because by the time
the historian sits down to his task there
will be SO many more millions of bicy-
cles ridden on the roads of this coun-
try that it will not be considered worth
recalling.
But there is one fact about the BIZ
cycle which is more important in its
bearing on the development of the
country to a point of prosperity ample
and grand beyond all present dream
ing, and which the faithful historian
will certainly set down as one of the
landmarks of that prosperty-the
movement that it has created for bet
ter country roads throughout the
Union. In one State after another
the great brotherhood of the handle
bars is coaxing and compelling the
county authorities to make bad roads
better, and gradually cover the whole
country with an interlacing network
of hard highways. In New York and
New Jersey hundreds of miles of fine
hard roads have been created at
large cost within the past five years.
The States have helped to bear the
expense, but the county boards have
had the initiative in incurring it. AS
this work of making good country
roadways goes on it will put the city
and the country on freer visiting terms.
1t will help the farmer by connecting
him with his markets at lower cost. 1t
will increase the value of property in
both city and country. In time it
will abolish both the desolation of the
remote farm and the squalor and
misery of the city tenement block.
This is a good illustration of the
truth that "no man liveth to himself"
The starting point of this good droads
movement was, no doubt, selfish. The
bicyclist found his rides limited by
impossible roads, and he began to
grumble. The bicycle manufacturer
saw his business field limited by the
same cause, and he began to complain,
too. Then they both began to call
TOR better roads, and became the lead
ers of great reformatory movement
before they were aware of it. And in
the end farmers and city dwellers and
the community as whole will be
better off.
Good roads are the first children of
civilization. The history of any ma
tons upward climb is the history of
its advance from the rude corduroy
road to the broad macadamized one.
The annals of road making in this
country cover little more than one
hundred years. In the year 1891,
which was the first year in which the
government established a systematic
postal service, there were only eighty
nine post offices and 1905 miles OF
post-roads. In the delivery of mails
in that year S9,65o miles were covered
by stages and 756,S1S miles were
covered by sulkies and horses.
Twenty years later, in 1911, there
were 2,4os post offices and over 81.
900 miles post-roads. From less than
10000 miles covered by stages in
1871, the number of miles SO covered
by the mail service in 1871 had in.
creased to 2,534,Io2. Still, in 1871,
sulkies and horses carried the mails
over 3,o5S,o6o miles of territory, with
which there was no other means O.
communication. When another twenty
years had passed the stage roads ofthe
country had been greatly multiplied
and the steamboats, had made theil
appearance on our rivers, lakes, canal:
and coast.
| In 1888 the United States mails
were carried over 1916 miles O
post roads, and stage coaches covered
over two-thirds of the total number OF
miles embraced in the mail service
while the mail bags were conveyed
over 72S,737 miles by the new agency
of steamboats,. After 1880 the rail
roads began to compete with the stage:
on the land, and yet we find that II
1850 the mails were carried by stage
coaches for 2S,44S,59S miles, while
over 100000 miles of mail service
were performed by sulkies and horses
as against 27,a6S,SS4 miles of mai
service performed by the railroads.
1t seems difficult to realize, but i
is the fact, that three years after the
civil war had closed, in 1868, th'
United States mails were carried ove1
100000 miles by stage coaches
sulkies and saddle horses and over les:
than s5,ooo,ooo miles by railroads
Now there are about $500 railroad
mail routes, aggregating 100, 900 mile
in length, the annual travel over which
exceeds $50, 900, 900 miles I26 steam
boat routes, 10000 miles in length
over which the annual travel amount
to about $4,000 miles, and still
there are nearly $1,000 special mai
routes, covered by stage coaches, llgh
wagons and saddle horses, over whlcI
the mails are carried for distance
which aggregate about no, 200, ,oo'
miles annually.