Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-10-10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ROAD LEGISLATION.
A Few Hints About Improved Highways
and Local Authorities.

~ rev AtfnIs ABOUT improved Highways
and Local Authorities.
In the location, construction and
maintenance of public highways our
governmental scheme, based on home
rule, appears to break down almost
completely. This fact does not consti-
tute an argument against home rule,
but merely furnishes another instance
that every scheme is sure to be faulty
In some particular. 1t is not the pur-
pose of this article to discuss the mer-
its of the democratic system of govern
ment, but to point out wherein, under
that system, some special laws should
be made as to public roads; for the ex-
perience of more than hundred years
in this country and in Europe teaches
us that the local authorities should
not be intrusted with supreme control
of the roads in any neighborhood.
Until the roads were taken away from
local administrators in England all of
the efforts to improve them miscarried,
and millions of pounds expended on
the highways were wasted. So too, it
has been in this country from the be-
ginning, and so it is in this country to-
day, though in Europe advantage has
been taken of experience, and now in
France and the other continental coun-
tries, and in measure also in Great
Britain, the roads are administered by
the central authorities.
During the interim after Washing
ton had retired from the command of
thearmy, and before he had been sworn
in as president, he lived quietly at
Mount Vernon and interested himself
with his private affairs and the bust
ness of his state. Patrick Henry was
then governor of Virginia. To him
Washington wrote, advising that the
road laws be so changed that county
courts should not have authority to To-
cate roads, but that these locations
should be determined upon by state
engineers. His reason was that mere
ly local interests would influence the
county court and all citizens of the
neighborhood, and that therefore not
the wise thing, but the locally popular
thing, would be done. But Washing
toms advice was not taken, and the
Virginia road laws are as faulty to-day
as they were a hundred years ago,
while the roads are disgrace to the
civilization of the old dominion. The
other day an enlightened county judge
in Virginia requested advice from the
engineer in charge of the road bureau
of the United States department of
agriculture. The engineer made a
reconnaissance of the country where
the road was to be improved, and
showed the county judge, to his entire
satisfaction, that in one or more places
the location of the road should be
changed, as on the present line no
good road was possible. The law re-
quires that freeholders should petition
the court to make any change in loca-
ton. The freeholders of the neighbor-
hood were asked to look at the plan.
Being intelligent men, they saw that
the plan was wise, but not man of
them would sign the petition. They
explained their refusal by saying that
the change would be disagreeable and
Instantaneous to one of their num-
Der, and that therefore to sign the pc
tition would be unneighborly. There
fore the road on the old location is to
be macadamized, and every penny
spent upon it will be worse than
wasted, for the new pavement will not
much improve the road, while the cost