Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-01-03
Good Roads Movement.


To THE HONORABLE BOARD OF Sup
ERvIsoRs:-For more than five years
last past. leading newspapers and
magazines all over the country, advo-
Gated the necessity of Improvement
in bu'lding and maintaining better
roads. The interest awakened by
the constant agitation of the public
press in this matter. eliminated in
the organization of a society known
as the National League of Good Roads
This movement originated in New
York during the year 1892. During
the fall of that year temporary or
ganization was effected The first
meeting was held in Chicago at or
about the time of the Dedication of
the Columbian Fair. On the 18th
day of January, ,S92. the first gen
eral convention was held at Washing
ton, D. G. Delegates from twenty
five Of the states attended and an
enthusiastic meeting was held The
object of this League is to awaken in
the people an interest in the eonstruc-
ton of better and permanent roads
| may state right here, that | am not
employed or retained by any corpora
tions, municipal or other | have no
expectation of compensation, nor do !
demand that any appropriation should
be made out of the county treasury,
nor have | consulted with any person
in regard to this matter except a num-
Der of the members of your honora-
BILE board do not ask or demand
credit for bringing this matter to the
attention of your board, for the reason
that | am only the mouth piece of the
League of Good Roads. do not need
to bring to your minds the fact that
necessity for better construction of
our roads exists not only in this coun-
try but all over the land except per-
haps in some of the eastern and mid
die states where permanent pixies have
been constructed.
/ have no suggestion to offer at
present. My object is simply to call
your attention to this matter, so that
in the future some action may be
taken by your honorable body to de-
wise Ways and means by which COM
munication by vehicles between the
different parts of Grant county could
be mad at all times of the year.
The principal reason why our roads
are not in as good condition as they
might be. are to be clearly demon
strated in the eloquent address Of
Judge Teayer, of Iowa, before the
National League for Good Roads,
which quote, said:
1T is far more surprising how few
people in all this land know how to
make good roads. While a hundred
years of road making have made less
than hundred good road makers,
the wonder is that there is so many.
Now and then some genius, who
would excel in anything, has made
stretch of good road. But the failures
are counted by millions. AS rule
roads are not as good now as they
were thirty years ago. The brains
and muscle of the unskilled road
master have been squandered in fruit
less effort 10 make something useful
withoat knowing how.
why not know how?" Roadmak-
ing is as much of . science as railroad
building. Because railroad runs in
front of mans house should ne be
expected TO know how to build rail-
road? This is truly the gist of the
whole matter, except perhaps, the pro-
miscuous manner of working cut road
taxes DR.. Coancey Ripley of New
jersey, in speaking of the manner of
working out road taxes, SAYS:
81 -. 10.
fence smoking clay pipes swapping
stale stories. has long been syn 'nimous
with working out RI ad taxes. " How
true this statement is you know better
than l.
will not enlarge upon this matter
any lfng,r but would most rs
specially request that a committee of
Al least three members of the board he
appointed bv the chairman to invest
gate and reporr at your naxt meeting
ia what manner the presen. system Of
making roads can be improyei. Al
though / do rot care TO be Identified
with this committee work | will cheer
fnlly give ali the aid | c1n aHd assist
in a collection Oh statistics and other
useful information.
HERMAN BUCHNER
We. the undersigned committee. re-
specially recommend the adoption of
the foregoing request.
VIM. WILDMAN,
J B MURPHEY.
GRIFFIN HICKoK,
Alloys GRIMM