The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-26
We Want Good Roads.
To the Editor of the Press:

leading and worthless; for max ing esti
mates which mo one who knows any
thing about fairly good country roads
should make;" and lastly, the whselmen
are, by inference, personified az mod
ern be-bloomered Delilahs, who with tax
shears in hand, ARE about to inf1ict John
l.. Sullivan hair cut to the farmer Sam
son. And further, we are warned tina t
1.-THE pillars of state are within his
reach" t"his' being the aforesaid Sam
sonl, and, carrying out the lesson, we
infer that if we persist in our nefarious
Undertaking down will come our house
on our heads.
Now, Mr. Editor, these do be mighty
rough rocks to be carelessly heaving
around. They hurt; and the first
thought which struck me after the rocks
struck was to warn the aforesaid "Cih-
zen" to look out for his greenery, and
shy few bricks myself. But there Is
good adage:
When mad, count ten;
When very mad, count a hundred"
So counted a thousand-henoe this
delay-and by that time the humor of
the CitIzen's" chameleon argument
struck me, and with the one malicious
question as to whether "Citizen" ought
not to have kept his rough rocks Tor
home consumption, shall plead "Not
guilty" to each and every count of the
Indictment, and subpoena "Oitizen" as
my first witness.
Citizen" testities that the "arand sys-
tenn of highways" in Massachusetts
amounts to but few spatohes," which
may ultimately amount to "from three
to five miles of macadamized road" In
each town. Further, that it has
averaged SO. 100 mile'' to build these
roads. Tin 1894 and in 1895 they cont
over $4,000 less per mile}. This means
$41, 600 for each town on an average in a
grand system" that would satisfy the
most exaGsing, wheelman in Mains.
Citizen" testifies further that it would
cost Freeport over $1,000, 600 to fix It's
streets to suit Delilah. To be exact, with
his figures. Sl,040. 600. Now this Is only
about a million dollars more than he
claims 1t is casting Massachusetts to do
the work in a manner that is thoroughly
satisfactory to farmers and wheelmep
alike. Only $500 per cent. greater in
Maine than in Massa chusetts, that Is
all And he sarcastioally wants some
"expert accountant of the Wheel Club"
to figure out his com bination. They
can t do it, "Citizen. We have several
ex pert accountants in the Club, but not
one who can figure you through two
statements, one Of which Ia $500 per
cent. greater than the other. and the
smaller of which would be cause for a
jubilee among wheelmen.
Again our expert accountants figure a
four cent On the dollar argument In the
as to cost to the farmer. In
the farmer is In favor Of
State roads, beoause-I think this ia
logical inference from "Citizen's', arun.
ment-he is able to work out his share of
the cost of the highway, while the
State being a liberal pay master, dis
tributes good deal of money through
these towns' TO pay for the States nor
ton. Now l think that the Maine farm.
or would be-willing to have ay-a-day.
glye-a-day job with the State, which
would give them roads over wn!ch their
could go to school every day
when the snow is off the ground; roads
over which their wives could 20 to
church, or run into the neighbops, rain
or shine; roads over which they could
90 to market at their own convenience
and not at the option of clerk Of the
weather who has, for example, acted SO
badly this fall that the Maine Central
has actually within a week-see
aa1ly papers-''laid off one of the night
[rleght trains. I. There is large
quantity Of freight i'll the country east of
Bangor which is only waiting for good
travelling to be hauled to the railroad.
and when this can be done the Maine
Central trains will be as long and az
heavy ms ever" Do you realize, my far
mer friends, that when that large guam
lily OF freight starts it will all start at
once, with the result that down will 40
the prices, and YOU will lose dividend
Keep tab ON this next year, and you will
be astonished to find the number of
times you take the first day of good 60
ing to carry produce to market, only to
Ind the towns famine turned into a
slutted mark ct by your neighbors being
obliged to do just as you do? Can you
afford good roads? Can you afford bad
'ness' Is the question you want to pom
Ter over. But am getting away from
'ur expert accountants attempt to balance
hose books. The Massachusetts farmer
'avors their highway system because he
3 getting something Tor nothing, our
Cltlzen" lntimates. In Maine the same |
'ysteln would "pile a heavy additional
oao OF taxes" upon our farmers and |
: set him grinding in the prison house of |
lopel essness." This ia as; consistent as
Inc previous discrepancy where "Citi-
ien' proves that the Maine system is
.oing to cost $500 per cent more than
he Massachusetts one.
Now 'NCitizen" has demolished four of |
ny ~ points but in doing SO he fatty |
himself twice. The mil
ion dollar estimate is simply q case of
WI T.