Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-12-21

should be taxed to aid the construction
of good roads in this county and every
other portion of the state. We are a
great people to advocate good things.
If we had everything that we say we
should have we should be enjoying d
civilization compared to which our pres
ent civilization would be mere shadow.
But nobody is willing to pay for secur-
ing what everybody says we ought to
have.
Let the state compel the construction
of good roads, is repeated over and over
again by rich men, great corporations,
pleasure seekers and townspeople gen
orally. All right; but who is to pay the
bill? Let anybody pay it, so do not
have to, is the answer. Now we start
out with the undisputed claim that it
would be profitable to the farmer if we
had better roads. We go still further,
and make the assertion that it is prac-
teal to have good roads without great
~ burdening the farming community.
In the first place, it will probably be
generally admitted that not one man in
n hundred who has charge of the roads
knows any more about the science OF
road building than Choctaw knows of
the principles of the Christian religion.
Build up the center and perhaps cut
bitches on the sides. That is the begin
ming and end of our road construction
as a rule. That it does not work is
abundantly proved by the condition Of
our roads. Something more is re
quired. The advocacy of state and
county superintendent of roads, these
officials to be practical road builders or
engineers, involves the correct princi-
pie of road construction, inasmuch as
it recognizes the fact that to construct
roads requires practical knowledge.
But such u system. would be expensive
and pretty sure to become political
tax-eating machine. The people, if I
understand their temper, are not favor
able to an increase of the offices. The
practical thing to do is for the people
themselves to learn the art of proper
road construction, and this is not diff
ficult Perhaps there is nothing in the
ordinary affairs of life that comes into
existence so much from chance and al
ways remains about as it is first made
as a road or street. In the west, where
the roads are so often run on the sec
ton lines, there is a little more system
than in the older portions of the counr
try.
The crook in the road remains. and
we waste time and horse muscle in trav-
cling the crook The original hill will
remain for century, as if it did not
cost anything to pull load uphill. Yet
the principle of draught anybody can
understand, and the Importance of easy
inclinations in roads anybody can COM
prehend. For instance, the force nee
essary to draw a wagon which with It's
load weighs six tons along a level mac
adam road is 264 pounds But on a road
with an ascent of one foot in 20 the
force required is 456 pounds. Hills
then. mean less weight to a load and
more trips or larger nuIab Der of horses
TO the load. 1t requires no civil engi-
neer at a high salary to decide that the
hill is Improbable, and it requires no
high engineering ability to reduce the
incline; and yet the permanency OF
hills in the road would indicate that
nobody ever thought of removing or re-
ducing them, and that nobody knew
how TO do it. Then it would be an insult
to the intelligence of any farmer TO say
to him that the only way to construct
permanent roads is by the use of stone,