St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-06-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Secretary Gage Reports on the Feel
Ing In the West.
oood Roads-New Hampshire Banks Public
Llbrary-The Patent Office--New Building
Needed-Personal.


Especial to the CALEDoNIAN.)
IL has been rather dull week. The
senate has been plodding along on the
tariff bill, and is making considerable
headway, while the house has agreed
to the final conference report on the sun
dry civil appropriation bill, and the
Democrats have been devoting them
selves to fighting Speaker Reeds policy
of doing nothing until the senate returns
the tariff bill.
Secretary of the Treasury Gage, who
mas just returned from Cincinnati, says
that feeling Of impatience seemed to
be general among business people at the
delay In the passage Of a tariff bill. Ac-
cording to the secretary the business of
the country is in a condition approach
ing stagnation, and, although the pubic
realize that the greatest care Is necessary
In the construction of bill of such vast
Importance, the people are beginning
to complain VI the time consumed. What
they most want, he says, Is the prompt
passage Of bill that will produce suffi-
cient revenL-, and with that question out
OF the way The government can take up
the question of reform in the currency.
The business men in attendance on the
Cincinnati meeting, Mr.. Gage said, We're
agreed that a currency commission
should be authorized and appointed at
once with view to their formulating a
plan which could be presented to con-
gress on its reassembling in December.
During the recess of congress 1t was
thought that hearings could and should
be given by the commission to financiers
and others who might desire to be heard
from all parts of the country. 1t was a
great question, Mr.. Gage added, and
should have the fullest discussion. If
the commission should fail to agree upon
q satisfactory plan the administration
very likely would have a proposition to
present to congress. In any event, the
people with whom the secretary con-
versed were agreed that some initiatory
action should be taken at once. The bus
mess of the country he said, impatiently
demanded 1t.
| 1t seems to be the prevailing opinion
here that business will show percepti-
BILE sign of Improvement shortly after
the passage Of the tariff bill. Men of all
shades of political belief seem to admit
that. OF course the silver men are claim
ing that the squirt will only be tempo
rary, but t'e Republicans aver that the
good times are coming for good, when
they once get here, as result Of remedial
tariff legislation.
The secretary of agriculture has start
ed a series Of experiments that, it Is be-
lieved, will result in showing the best
method Of road construction in this coun-
try, and will cause the construction of
better highways in the future than have
existed. Secretary Wilson will begin this
work at the New Jersey Agricultural col
lege, at New Brunswick, where q furd
of about $4,000 will be provided by the lo-
| cal authorities, and the work will bt
continued in Geneva, N. Y, where con-
tributions made for the purpose by the
city, the experiment station and private
citizens amount to about $1,000.
The necessity for the improvement OF
the common roads of the country has
long been recognized by Secretary Will
son. Together with many others who
have looked into this matter, he has con-
cluded that there is vast amount OF
waste of energy resulting from bad roads
which have to be frequently traversed
by the farmers. Shortly after coming
into Office he requested General Stone, In
charge of the Office of road inquiry Of
the department of agriculture, to look
into the matter and report upon the best
methods for road improvement.
This report concludes that macadam
or all broken stone construction is gen.
orally preferable to the Telford system
which consists of a foundation of large
stones set on edge with a covering OF
broken stone, and that narrow stone
roads are better than wide ones except
where the traffic Is very heavy. A sin.
gle track Of stone, it is concluded, serves
all the purposes of an ordinary country
road, and saves all the advantages of 9
smooth earth track along the side fol
travel in dry weather. The side roat
being used only when 1t is dry, or as 6
turnout when 1t Is wet, Is always in con.
dition to turn out upon without diff.
Guilty. The cost of the stone road is re.
duced one-half and the cost of repairs
much more than one-half.
It Is also believed that a thin coating
Of stone, well laid, is better than a thick
one badly laid. Four inches of stone
well compacted, on good roadbed are
worth more than eight inches loosely laiC
and left to the travel" to finish. Fine
stones are better than coarse ones fol
the construction, and too much stress
cannot be laid upon having good quail
ity of stone for surfacing. The system
of continuous repairs Is regarded as very
much more satisfactory and more eco
nomical than the waiting system.
One of the more important parts Of this
investigation Is that which has led to 6
determination on the part Of the depart
ment to experiment with steel roads. Il
is said that the reduction of the pull re-
CURED to remove a load from 40 pounds
per ton on a macadam road to eigh
pounds on a steel track Is sufficient tt
overcome many objections which have
been urged against the latter system
Under the present investigations the OBJ
jections to steel roads have mainly disap
peared The obstacle of original expense
Is overcome by the reduced price O.
material, and the anticipated high cos
of maintenance, the latter avoided b!
doing away entirely with wood in tn,
construction. The danger of horses
slipping on the rail in going UP or dowi
hill is met by indenting the rail used OF
grades sufficient to catch the horse'
calks without roughening the tread fol
wheels. The form of steel rails proposed