Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-09-30
AGRICULTURAL Hunts
A FARMERS ARGUMENT.

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"A FARMERS ARGUMENT:
ne rake" a Really Sensible stand On
the Road Question:.
II we study social and financial oues-
t'ons we find that, tosa great extent,
we fall over the stones We ourselves
nave 1ald In the way. There is no end
OF 1ault-finding and justly SO 49, over
Tie money sharks, the combines, the
greediness of public officials and poll
tlclans.5 There is no doubt that. these,
collectively in many instances, get fully
one-half of the peoples earnin gs. Of
the remaining half one-half Of
that Is lost to the farmer by
weeds andavermin, by bad financial
management, and by badroads. These
are the stones he lays IN his own way,
o. allows to lie there to stumble over. w.
The farmers themselves are princi-
pally to blame for the5poor and misera-
BILE condition of our country roads.
The way of maintaining, these roads is
about the same that was customary5in
our colonial times, when anysroad was
good enough, if rocks, stumps or holes
did not make themsentirely impossible
Tor vehicles. It is very likely that more
attention would have been paid to our
country roads were itnot for the intro
duction of railroads. What the rail
roads are for traffic on large scale, so
small scale alike beneficial TO all peo-
ple.S It lis fact that railroads haul
cheaper, and is it snotSa fact sthat#rail-
roads cost more? ID Is It moi, likewise, a.
fact that railroads earn enormous
riches out of the people by hauling for
the people?
Now, if the farmer could haul his
produce at half the present cost, how
much would that save him? I do not
know, some one may answer. Well, if
I did not see the railroads I would not
either. But the fact is, if we had good
wagon roads all the year round, the
hauling would not cost half what it
costs now, besides the quicker trip 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
midsummer, when team and man are
nearly suffocated by dust, and when
they ought to be at home cultivating
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 a question of
national economy, it is regarded as a
local matter, for which there is a great
lack of comprehension, or of means to
solve or carry it out. In the far west,
where the settlers build their homes
far apart, nobody thought of arranging
or maintaining regular 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
in their own interest to maintain good
roads. But it would seem to be all in
vain.
Farmers are averse to the cost of
constructing durable roads and not far
sighted enough to see the benefits they
would derive from it. That the cost of
constructing such a~road is consider
able, may be comprehended by every
body; but that it is as high as generally
supposed is a mistake, and this seems to
be the main reason that so little has
been accomplished in this direction.
OF course, the roads are repaired every
year according to the nature and com
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 few years.
In many places gravel and stones are
not to be had. In such cases the largest
holes in the road are annually filled
with dirt, by pillow and scraper, and
then left alone till the next year, and |
so ad inhnitum. Here wide wagon
wheels would be better than narrow
ones; it is not to be wondered that the ,
roads grow from bad to worse in some
places.
The manner in which roads in Wis
consin have been maintained for many
years is not a correct one, nor is the |
system of roadmasters. It should have |
been abolished long ago. These road
masters are elected by reclamation