Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-09-30
WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD ROAD
LAW?
Daily Republican

those ghosts ''that will not down"
The man who is strangled by the dust
such days as these, may be pardoned i'll
forgets what it "has been" and what 1t
'will be- again, when the rains and
SHOWS of winter are with us once more;
But his forgetfulness is destined TO be
short-lived. Mud, clinging, filthy, I'M
fathomable mud, will soon swallow up in
its hideous abysses the few loads OF loose
stone with which the road makerG) has
blessed the highway.
The deep cuts made by the heavy sum
mer rains, and yet untouched by the re-
pairer, will soon be turned into almost
impossible gulches, growing deeper day
by day as each passing wheel goes "deep-
el and deeper STILL" The solid rocks, the
wagon destroyers, the horse killers, the
man torturers, that corduroy our roads
will become more and more terrible as
the ground softens and is worn away from
their sides. Two trips to the depot IN
stead of one will constitute the winter
amusement Of many of our people; curses
both loud and deep will enliyen things
little, but it cannot be said that they will
materially improve the situation.
All over the country goes upa protest
against bad roads and the Cry for some
thing better is so nearly unanimous that
there is no minority whose rights need be
considered wrong exists, the RENE
DIV is to be found. We excuse or blame
the supervisors, as our personal relations
with them happen to be close OR other
wise; and we all fall back upon the de-
lightfully indefinite "they," and there
pile up huge mountains of criticism and
fault-fnding. "They" ought to do this,
"they ought to do that, "they ought not
to do this, and they ought not to do
that.
So the time passes and we, year after
year, founder through the same old mud
holes and bump over the same eternal
rocks that toughened the sinews of our
fathers.
We know shat our road fund is totally
inadequate to make all the roads good,
butwe take peculiar delight in saying
that the paltry sum spent on y road
was badly invested because road
needs money too. If Mr. Supervisor
spends five dollars here, some fellow -citi-
zen rises in his corner somewhere else to
remark that twenty five dollars are need
ed near his place. If he is told that
there are no twenty-five dollars left, he
grumblingly betakes himself to hugging
and petting his little. grievance, washes
his hands of the whole matter of public inns
provement, and henceforth belongs to the
ranks of those who could have done bet
ter than "they."
Seriously and practically, are we not
wasting time? Could wenot better spend
our time devising some scheme for better
ing the condition of affairs? We know
wehave bad roads, We know we want bet
ter and we know we haven't the money tc
build them. You gentlemen who aspire
to represent us in the State Legislature
what have you to propose? We are anx
ious to vote for you, mot all Of US for the
same ones) but we want to know what
yov all expect to do about roads. O
course you ale in favor of better roads
we take that for granted and you need mo-
waste any ofyour precious stump speak
ing breath to tell US that, but what are
YOU going to do? The true Statesman
creates policies. Let us hear yours. In
stead OF discussing roads hereafter, let u!
discuss the proper way to raise money anc
to spend it in building roads. 1t is al
easy matter to deplore the woful condi
ton of our roads and to discant upon The
advantages that good roads would bring
us. Are we not past that stage Of our de
velopment? Let us set about suggesting
\ and carrying out ways and means.
Some one has suggested that our county
be divided into small districts, SO small IS
to contain practically one neighborhooc
each, so that tie interests of the people o
each district will be substantially identica
and to them, in some way place the whole
matter of roads in the district in the hands
of its people. The immediate result would
be that some neighborhoods would have
good roads, land, perhaps, some might
have no better than they have at present
This would be distinct gain, because
none are now above reproach. 1t would
seem that this scheme would combine two
powerful forces in the cause of road i'm
provement-self interest and local pride
fla man knew that his money would al
be spent where he individually would be
benefited by it, he would not object tc
paying twice as much in taxes. Then
each neighborhood would, in time, come
to take a pride in having as good roads al
any other-Every tine man found he
could haul aihundred pounds more at {
load and haul it easier than formerly, hi:
interest in the movement would increase
If some one sees an objection to thiS
scheme, let him state it, and propose 6
better. The object of this article is t.
start discussion on this subject. We ART
all agreed as to ochot we want, let us fine
out hOlr to get it.
ITpcr,o~