The Van Buren press., 1896-08-22
OF ARKANSAS.
Internal Improvement of More rfnpor-
lance than the Financial Question.
ROW GOOD Roads Are nuilt in New Jer-
sey-Practioal suagestlons Made by the
state Good Roads League--A Road
Tax is an Investment that Pro-
DUDES Money Dividend.

An article on road improvement Is
always dry reading TO large number
OF readers, but now while the campaign
fires are burning and political discus
sion Is at fever heat it will prove excep-
tionally so. 1t is hoped, however, that
every person who glances at the first
line of this article will decide that a
short essay on good roads may be taken
at the present time as an antidote TO
the overdose of political literature
which all people are compelled to swal-
low. Let every person resolve to pc
ruse the points herewith presented, If
the subject is dry and uninteresting the
paper should be carefully laid aside to
be read when the mind is in receptive
mood for business question which di-
rectly interests every citizen and which
demands the earnest, intelligent
thought of us all. The question of
how to improve our public roads is be-
fore us-and it is here to stay until it
receives practical solution. No sensi-
BILE man denies that we should have
better roads, nor does any man doubt
that our roads can be improved. Rapid
progress in road improvement has been
made in other states, and what other
states have done Arkansas can do. The
question is how shall we proceed? The
plan of working out road tax is largely
n farce. Men who will do fair days
work. anywhere else will tritie time in
working out tax ON the public high
way. 1t has been suggested that
Convict Labor
should be utilized and that both state
and county prisoners be employed in
building roads. This suggestion should
be well considered. Many strong ar
guments can be presented in favor Of
placing every convict on the public
highway who can be spared from ether
service. 1t is perhaps the only service
they can perform which does not come
in competition with paid labor. AS
conditions are at present every person
can perceive the necessity of giving to
the honest manly laboring men every
possible opportunity to earn support
for himself and family. Every convict
who fills the place that an honest la
borer can fill robs that honest laborer
of a job and adds one more to the list
of enforced oilers. The injustice of
this is apparent to every reader. All
that is necessary to place convicts on
the road is law. To have such law en-
acted it is first necessary to elect mem
bers Of the general assembly who shall
be instructed to use their influence TO
support such a measure Internal i'm
provement is matter of really more
vital importance to the people of Ark
ansas than the currency problem. I'm
proved roads will prove direct help to
the farmer as means of transporting
his products to market, besides increas-
ing the value of real estate. An ordi-
nary team can pull from to tons on
solid well-graded road at any season of
the year, and make the trip in half the
time required on common road. 1t is
readily seen that here is a vast saving
of time, especially where crops are
raised several miles distant from a rail
road There is a strong sentiment
throughout the state in favor of better
roads. At the
Good Roads Convention,
held February rs in Little Rock, at
which 220 delegates were present, rep
resenting AZ counties, a thorough dis
cussion was had of the question of inn