The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-03-25
GOOD ROADS NOTES, !

0N0NNN0A0e49es000t6 Aleiseeaeesooseeseko0S
Another expression in favor of hav.
ing Congress take action on the sub.
ject OF road improvement appears in
the Greenville Mich Democrat, in
an interview with DIR. A. w. Nichols.
The doctor speaks of the necessity OF
having better roads, and then con-
| tinues:
81 believe that this country will
never have good roads until the Gov.
eminent has adopted the policy of
supervision and construction of the
same. Most of the civilized govern
ments of the Old World have built
their roads by government appropria-
tons. Government appropriations
for good roads would not be felt, but
would be benefit by way of clearing
farms of stone and giving employment
to labor. The Importance of roads
for military purposes, leading into
the interior territories and to the
frontier was early appreciated. and
some important routes were opened by
the general Government; as the
national road from Baltimore through
Wheeling and Cincinnati to st. Louis,
and that from Bangor to Houlton, in
Maine
"It has been estimated that 800.
600, 900 appropriated by the Govern
ment among the several States in pro-
portion to their agricultural popula.
ton, and that sub-divided and dis
tributed among the counties of each
State in proportion to the agricul.
tural population of each county, woald
give the average agricultural counties
OF this State from $15, 900 to $25, 1000
each, and in twelve or fifteen years.
time the counties would be provided
with good macadamized roads, pro-
vided stone were reasonably accessi.
BILE. I believe in liberal appropria-
tons for all the departments OF our
Government, but I cannot see why
the great agricultural interests should
be neglected. If our biIlion-dollar
Congresses would appropriate the
small amount of $40, 900, 900 q year
for good roads, it could not, in my
Judgment. be better applied in de-
veloping our country and, at the |
same time, meet the wants of our PEG. |
pie, especially in the agricultural dis.
tricts.
"The Importance Of good roads is
becoming SO well recognized that they
are probability of the near future,
and their cause should be championed
IN Congress as soon as possible. Thus
ar, of late years, all moneys used in
;he construction of good roads have
been secured by direct tax upon the
people living along the lines of such
Dads, or those living in the counties
n States where such roads are located.
md has proven heavy burden upon
hose people. The Government can
conduct this matter much better than
states. and the revenue required to
meet the expenditure would be so
mall that it would not be even felt by
he people. The Golfers of the Gov.
rnment are now being filed to over
lowing under the present system of
evenue, and the war taxes could be
educed many times and yet have
NAAASAOho 1uhuo W mCOb tulS |
ion of twenty million dollars annually
or good roads, and, at the same time,
cave all other departments of the
government we'll provided for.
81 believe that If a member of Con. ,
ress would champion Government I
appropriations for good roads that he ,
-ould find no difficulty in securing ,
etitions signed by large majority I
the people, urging the enactment 6
such law. Let the people wake
p on the subject of good roads and {
ational appropriations for the same, {
,r it will benefit the farmer more Z
ian any other improvement that I
now of, and give employment to q
Dor, and would likewise prove adj t
antageous to all interests of the I
'uutry, esq ecially to interior cities t
nd villages" t