The Monitor-register., 1897-02-26

S0oNI1. NONEMBER ~, lO5O; READ
ALSO BEFORE THE CUMBERLAND
COUNTY INSTITUTE AT SHILOH, JANUARY
III, 1897, BY JOB S. HAINEs.
These county institute meetings appear
20 nave come among us to stay, and as
our advantages in this line increase, SO
does our responsibility. This prompts
me to comply, even on short notice, to
pen the following, although the question
as framed seemed difficult: ''By what
method may our county roads be per-
manently improved without increase of
taxes ?' This would appear impossible
we do not generally get something for
nothing.
ln usual methods some provision must
necessarily be made either in material,
labor or funds, or all com bined, to make
even temporary improvements to our
highways. But to make such as are con-
templated by the term permanent
improvements" will require strong, united
effort, with well-direoted expenditures,
all of the best that mind, skill and energy
OF communities in county, State and
Nation can devise. But if we NAV be
allowed to treat this subject in its general
bearing we would say that it is as ancient
as the human race, and limited only by
the boundaries of the continents. A
dwelling place, food and self protection
were early REQUESTS of man, and in search
thereof ways of travel soon were used.
Paths worn by the tread of human feet
led to richer supplies for man and fresh
pastures for his fl icks. These extenGe /
and broadened became the arteries of
inland trade and commerce aud as
the needs increased great network of
highways has been opened to traffic
throughout the Inhabited portions of the
globe.
And as the amount of traffic and rate
of speed increased upon any of these
highways their improvement became
necessary for convenient use. How far
this has been doue varies with dates aud
nations. Among the first principles of
improvement we note the smooth solid
foothpath by the roadside, across the
vacant lot, the meadow or the wood,
suggesting the broad tire method. The
human foot presents to the path or road a
greater surface bearing than the narrow
wheels of wagons, especially in proper
tion to weight. This thought carried
further enables the Indian with bis snow
shoe to traverse the snow cl I'd vale and
mountain with ease and safety And the
daring adventurer may even walk upon
the surface of water. While this plan
may help, yet it will not do all for our
roads. There is a limit to the applica
tion of any one principle alone. 1t would
be impracticable to attempt to fully pro
portionate the surface bearing of any
vehicle carrying a twC-ton load with the
human foot and it's load. To meet the
requirements of the road two other means
at least should be adopted. One is to
provide for rapid drainage of water from
the road surface and the other to grade
and elevate the general roadbed and re-
surface the same with material, combin
ing as far as possible, hard, tough, bind
ing and enduring qualities. The
enormous weight of water from the
annual average rainfall, amounting to
several thousand tons upon each mile of
road, will often have the effect to pack
and improve we'll graded and rounded
loan or gravel surface, where there are
ample, unobstructcd and continuous side
drains to take the surplus water, and if
otherwise allowed to form ponds or filter
through the soil will cause the unsatis-
factory conditions of road so often COM
planned of. And as the above improve,
ments consist so largely in labor and
natural material, they ought not to be SO
difficult to secure. We must admit that
much has been accomplished, for while
many of our roads are far from what we
might desire to have them, yet good
proportion of the roads Of this section of
our State have been greatly improved
from their former condition. The advent
of turnpikes half century ago gave US
better roads. Hills were cut, valleys
fillsd, steep grades leluced and travel
rendered more easy; counties and town
ships partially relieved from expense Of
bridges and roads and an impetus given
to the spirit of improvement. These
turnpikes, constructed on many of the
main highways leading to cities and
towns, have since been superseded by
parallel lines of railway which have
become in their turn the great public
carriers of freight and passengers. Thus
the means of transit have so changed as
to divert a large amount of interest and
skill, as we'll as capital by the millions of
dollars, into channels other than our
public highways, yet have relieved them
mucn from long distance and heavy travel,
and have tended to change by.ways or
crossroads into leading roads toward
market centres on the railways. So the
people of to-day find themselves con
fronted with new conditions as to roads
as we'll as to other business matters, and
are required to adapt themselves thereto.
While it is claimed that the United States
have nearly as many miles of railroad
(190, 600 miles of main line ana $4,000
miles of sidiogs) as all the other countries
together, and that in New Jersey there is
40 farm more than sew en- miles distant
from railroad, yet withal there goes up
in earnest tones call from the Pine Tree
State Of the East to the Golden Gate OF
the West, and from the Lakes to the
Gulf, for improved free public highways.
This is we'll and denotes an unrest under
subjective conditions as to means of
transportation. And justly asking for
the roads of our country their due share
of local, State and National encourage
ment and aid in common with railway,
river and harbor and ocean commerce
improvements, thus contributing to the
needs and comfort of the homes of the
millions. 10 the earlier days of the
Republic the Government built some
National roads from nsvigabls waters of
the Atlantic States to the West, to
encourage settlements. These were of
two-fold advantage, for while aiding to
develop the newer sections of our country
it also showed what could be don in
road construction. But the United States
builds roads now only in the District of
FColnmb mbia, National cemeteries and tie
territories, and allows United States
troops to labor on roads for a small