New-York tribune., 1896-12-27
ROIUS " SEINON.

Each season. an Olu ny lllH Ifillliih> W. mas "
own disease. That is beyond all question true
of those rural ncighborhoods in which IN" move
mcnt for good roads has not become potcnt ana
effective The old happy go-lucky highways are
always bad but with different kind OF badness
for each season. At what time they are worst
is n question to be decided by individual taS'e.
Last spring. when the frost was coming ort OF
the ground and sticky mud was more 'hah nan
hubdeep some thought they were at thcr WORST
estate Others reckoned them worse IN MD
summer, when they were beds OF impalpapie rch
or yellow dust from one 10 several inches heep'
intcrSperscd with big pebbles and cobbleS'oh'S'
,cain there are those who reckon the fall or the
winter the worst time Of ALL and, indeed, not
without much Gauge.
Many weeks ago the trouble began Autim-
nal rains soaked the soil and made the roads
nasty. with a deep. stiff mud that was hard 10
drag wheels through. and that became ana re-
maincd cut and crosscut into all manner of ruts
Then n cold snap came and the mud was
frozen almost as hard as stone. and III" roadS
presented surfaces which for roughness were
unparaleled and indcscribable. Driving over
Them even AT walking pace. was torture com
narcd with which travel on corduroy road Is
pleasure and on n cObble-paved street Sypa-
rite luxury. After days of such agony lor
horses and drivers. and incstimable wear ana
tear on vehicles. the most travelled roads began
10 be worn down fairly smooth. Then came Il
thaw and mud again. and ruts. ana the ROADS
were soon as rough as before. and 80 remained
mill the next freeze hardened them into the
likeness of volcanic scoriac. And when at last
the SNOW came the roads beneath it were 50
rough fhcs sleighing was wellnigh impossible"
The runners cut through to the ruts ana "hllDs
and hummocks. and the sleigh jolted worse than
ever did springcSs car on rocky ROAD To Dun
lin." So It will 60 on all winter until the vcrna
thaw comes, and the frost breaks up, ana the
vcrv bottom seems to fall out of the wretched
sloughs which men in grim irony call highways.
Really. one would think that with such varied
vet jncessaat object-lcs>ons before them. men
,voull learn 10 serve their own best interests by
constructing decent roads Yet too generally
,hev do not one SAYS It would cost too much.
icnorine the patent fact that It would really re-
duce taxes and save money. Another wants
"thc State" to do it. unmndful that he and his
ncighbors and his village are integral parts Oh
"tho State" 4 third wants 10 postpone the
undertaking until the village is Incorporated.
though as a matter of fact this very neglect or
the roads is one Of the strongest reasons why
the place j. unfit for and unworthy of incoipora-
ton. Still another is unwilling to spend money
for the benefit of bicycle riders and the csy
folks who come out for just little while III
summer with their fancy turnOuts. the fact be
ing of course that the farmers and permanent
residents of the villages themselves use the
roads. and suffer from their badness. and would
be benefited by their improvement. ten times
more than all others put together. The bicyclists
can make their runs in other directions where
the roads are good. The city folks. with ight
Measure carriages and littleworked horses. can
endure poor roads with comparative mdi1er-
ence But the people who live right there ana
have To use the roads. not merely for pleasure
hut for work and business. every day the year
round they are those who suffer most from Dad
roads and who would get most good from good
roads That any of them should for mo-
mont fail 10 perceive that fact and to act upon
II is one of the ncomprehensible mysteries OF
the age.