Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-09-30


good enough, if rocks, stumps or holes
did not make themsentirely.impassable
for vehicles. It IS very likely that more
attention would have been paid to our
country roads were itsnot for the intro
duction of railroads. What the rail-
roads are for traffic on large scale, so
are countr f6consa
smalIscple alike benetic ial 10 sall peosI
plea It as afacf thats railroad d haul
cbsApsr,and4 sh nota tact trail.
roads COS mol Is a MI sgwyise, 81
fact that railroads earn @ enormous II q Gus
riches out Of MISUNDERSTANDING for
the peoples, ,.
Now, If the farmer could haul his
produce at half the present cost, how
much would that save him? 7 do not
know. some one may answer. Well, if
I did not see the railroads. would not
either. But tie fact is, if weshad good
wagon roadssaA the year round, the
hauling would not cost half what it
costs now, besiS tie quicker; trir and
bigger load, and man, team, harness
and wagon would last longer. The
price for@the. load hauled would. be bet.
ter in winter and early spring than in
mid-summer,aW when team and man are
nearly suffocated by dust, and when
they ought to be at home cuHivating
corn and potatoes; cleaning up around
the hog house and yard, and making
numerous other improvements.
The country road question is gener-
ally misconceived; therefore, INSULT:
GENTLY discussed, and will not be solved
satisfactorily by old ways and means.
Instead of treating it as question of
national economy, it is regarded az a
local matter, for which there is great
lack of comprehension, or of means to
solve OF carry. it out. In the far west,
where the settlers build their homes
far apart, nobody thought of arranging
acknowledgements roads. All road
making was confined to poorly, pass
able approaches to the railroads; very
often, however, they found what a
great damage an impossible road is. A
great deal has been written about how
to make farmers comprehend that it is
instheir own interest to maintain good
roads. But it would seem to be all in
vain. & T ~ q - i ~ s
Farmers are averse to the cost Of
constructing durable roads and not far
sighted enoughsto seeathe benefits they
would derive from it. That the cost of
constructing such esa@road il consider
able, may be comprehended by every
body; but that it is as high as generally
supposed is mistake, and this seems to
be the main reason that so little has
been accomplished in this directions;
OF course, the roads are repaired every
year according to the nature and con-
dition of the soil. Gravel will produce
the best and cheapest roads; but Is
squandered in many places. We often
see gravel put in places where the road
is not sufficiently graded. There is
mixed with the water in holes to mush
and entirely disappears in a few years.
In many places gravel and stones are
not to be had. In such cases the largest
holes in the road are annually filed
with dirt, by pillow and scraper, and
then left alone till the next year; and
so ad infnitum. Here wide. wagon
wheels would be better than narrow
ones; it is not to be wondered that the
roads growsfromeba bad to worse in some
places. 4.
The manner in which roads in Wis
consin have been maintained for many
years is not correct one, nor is, the
system of roadmasters.4 It should have
been abolished long ago. These road
masters are elected by Reclamation,
whether the man is competent to, earn
his salary or not; influence conquers,
and often the beer-glass decides the
election. To some it is great fun to
elect somebody who does not want,
and does not care for the Office. /, In
some places it is the rule, when hauling
gravel in payment of road taxes, to load
on as little as possible. If the road
masters would see that every team
hauled at least one cubic yard, consid-
erably more would be accomplished.
In some districts where capitalists live
who do not work their road taxes them
selves the cash is collected by road
masters who promised to have the
taxes worked, but most Of it remains
IN his pocket, or is used to fumigate
ar irripate the throat. A roadmaster
who really and earnestly sees to it that
every tax paper does his duty is seldom
reelected.
lie we want good roads we must elect
men to the legislature who are interest
cd in exacting more suitable laws.