The Forrest City times., 1896-05-15
GOOD ROADS ADDRESS.
The Movement Inaugurated for Bet
ter Thorouehfares.
Let Every Voter, Candidate and Citizen
Give This Great Question Intel
ligent Consideration.

The Good Roads convention. which
met in Little Rock. Ark, February 25,
1886, enrolled 220 delegates, repre-
senting 41 counties. IL was one OF the
largest and most enthusiastic assem-
blies ever held in the United States
Its mem bers, many of them prominent
farmers, business and professional
men, and public officials, unanimously
agreed upon two things-that our
roads were bad beyond description.
and that they must be improved IL we
are to make substantial progress.
While many good suggestions were
offered, still the time was too limited
to mature feasible plans; hence a per-
manent committee of eleven was au-
thorized to formulate laws, issue an
address. and perfect a state organiza-
ton for good roads. The committee
met April 8, and after due deliberation,
prepared the following:
Address to the People of Arkansas.
l. THE CosT OF BAD RoAps-A con-
servative estimate gives the annual
cost of bad roads as SO per capita in the
United States. At this rate Arkansas
pays out or loses yearly over 50, 900, 600
on account of her poor roads. This is
one-twelfth of the value of all our real
estate, and properly expended would
build $500 miles of first-class turn
pike every year, or 100 miles for each
county
2. The VALUE OF COOP RoADs-With
solid, well-graded roads an ordinary
team can pull four to six tons at any
sea Snp of he ,n,ob time,
valuable crops can be raised far from
the railroad and easily delivered; per-
ishable crops can be marketed without
damage or delay; farmers can sell or
buy when prices are favorable; travel
through the country becomes pleasant
and farm life more cheerful because all
of the advantages of the towns and
| churches, schools and neighborhoods
are within reach: lands otherwise
worthless become valuable, and the
value of all property is greatly in
| creased. In New Jersey it is claimed
that the lands near any macadamized
| road double in value and traffic is
| more than doubled. Scores of farmers
unite in testifying that good roads
are worth to them far more than the
| SoSo VI Duliulug anu
nance. The following example
shows the value of good road: A
machine weighing 10000 pounds was
drawn four miles in one hour and a
| half by four mules at a cost of 90 cents
on macadamized road which cost only
5000 a mile. At the end of the hard
road it was drawn 1000 feet Qess than
| one-eighth of the distancel, over an or
| binary dirt road. This required ten
mules and seven men nine hours at
cost of S19.S So For the same distance
as the first the cost would be about
S17s.0O. In Massachusetts, New Jer-
sey, New York, Maryland, Ohio and
| Kentucky, good roads have been built
at a cost ranging from 5000 to ST, 900
mile. In Arkansas materials and labor
are cheap and it is not unreasonable
to expect that a macadamized road
may be built for $500 to So. 600 accord
ing to locality, and good dirt roads
may be had at small cost if proper tools
are used under skilled supervision.
3. How TO GET GOOD RoADs-If the
people of any community will agree to
unite and work faithfully their own
roads, they may by small expendi-
ture for plows, scrapers, rollers and
materials for bridges and culverts, Sc
cure well-graded and drained dirt
roads, and by repairing at frequent
intervals keep these roads passable for
ordinary loads at any season. But for
permanent highways, capable of sus-
tanning the heaviest loads during all
kinds of weather, macadamized roads
costing at least $500 mile are neces-
sary. These can only be secured by
taxation, as the labor system will
not provide materials and skilled
labor. When a new tax is men
| toned men say they can not afford to
pay more; but they should consider
| that they are now paying in loss of
time, wear and tear of stock and wag-
ons, low prices and loss of products,
and deprecated value of property,
much more than any tax could possibly
| be. If a man can be convinced that for
every dollar paid in taxes he will re-
ceive two dollars more in products, he
certainly will not oppose the tax. This
is the actual experience of the people
wherever they have taxed themselves
for road improvements. With the ex-
| ception of our school-tax nearly all
taxes are used merely to run the gov
eminent and bring no direct returns
A road tax is an investment that pro-
auces money dividend, just as money
spent for clearing, fencing, and ditch
ing farm.
| 4. How TO RAISE MONEY FOR ROADS
| Our bad roads have beer excused be-
cause il has been supposed that under