The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1900-03-23
Litchfield County.
WOODBURY..
WHAT rs PRoaREss2

WHAT rs PROGRESS?
Mr. Editor: My attention has been
called to an article recently published In
our local paper signed "Progress.n If
am correctly informed the author of this
article IL called: "Wooabury's greatest
flnaneier." He pays less than 81 into
the town treasury aud yet for some time
has had great deal mora to say about
how and where the towns money shall
be used than those who pay over 800
tax. i can not help thinking OF the hrst
argument | ever had with him. liz was
at the time state roads were agitased in
this town. He tried his level beat to con-
vince me that nay theory was not prac
ticable and that nothing outside of
macadAmized road would ever amount to
anything Ia tho village OF Woodbury., but
the town by an honest vote refused to
carry out his wishes. Then he tried TO
call citizens meeting, and when that
failed he said he would make the town
pay out more money than they would to
build o macadamized road, aud according
to reports he has done 1t, and some Of
our hard working farmers have get dis
couraged, disheartened and disguised and
say there Is no use of trying to do any
thing as long as certain ones run the town.
But what amuses me is after all these
years of fussiDG and experimenting
spending the towns money needlessly, to
have him publicly acknowledge that my
theory was correct and what he tried TO
convince me was impracticable and never
would amount to anything, has finally
been done without voting against the
constitution of the United States and the
law of the Supreme Being of the world.
| For he says through the columns of our
local paper that turnpike roads are the
most scientific and permanent form OF
road building" and when the district
schools are all closed and children of all
ages and conditions are all under one roof
five days in a week, exposed to lice, itch,
diphtheria, scarlet fever, and all the diff
ferent kinds OF contagious diseases, per-
haps certain ones will come to the con-
clusion that farmers have got little
common sense II they dc not use such
polished and refined language and salk SO
/ dramatically and express themselves so
fluently and eloquently "a thoFe who are
In the habit of speaking publicly and get
their living by the use OF the tongue and
pen.
Our heal b officer has been unjustly
criticised for keeping the school building
In healthy condition and preventing the
spreading OF some contagious diseases.
But II some of these critics could have
little experience with physicians and
trained nurses and then be obliged to
bury some Of their own children in the
night, as my brother was, or IL they were
obliged to experience what / did few
years ago when l sacrificed my health
and poeketbook caring for my family,
which might all have been avoided IL the
board OF health had done their duty and
closed the school (as DR. Smith did,, when
they were notified by practicing physi-
clan that there was case OF scarlet
fever In the neighborhood. I have been
told by good authority that can collect
every cent of damage from the time the
doctor paid his first Visit as long as my
family were In need of medical aid. Ire
joice and am thankful to God that we
have got health officer that believes In
that wise old proverb San ounce of pre-
ventiVe is better than a pound of cure"
The wise man says in the Book of In
spiration that "a prudent man foreseeth
the evil and hideth himself, but the SIM
pie pass on and are punished" A stitch
In time saves not only nine but sometimes
80 and niue, and If those who have
charge Of our public roads would initiate
the example OF our wise, common-sepse
health officer and adopt that old maxim,
"a penny saved is equal 10 one earned, !"
It would be great progressive step in
the improvement Of our highways and
also help reduce the indebtedness OF the
town.
As an illustration let me relate q little
circumstance which took place in the
western part of this town q few years
ago. One Of our wide-awske, common.
sense farmers, who lives near a long,
steep hill, for over three years saved the
town quite q sum OF money by timely
and wisely using his hoe and shovel
turning water out of the road into the
ditch. But when he spoke to one of our
town fathers about III all the reward and
encouragement he got was: 81 haven't
employed you" Consequently the water
has run in the road more or less ever since
and the last time / rode up that hill 1t
was aim ost impossible. NOW If that Sc
lectmsn had reasonably rewarded aud
enc outraged that wise, judicious act
which was annually saving the town
quite a little sum of money, this hill
would be in q good travelling condition,
AS 1t was, when the water was running
in the ditch instead Of the road washing
deep gullieP, which Ia no small item to re-
pair when we have heavy thunder show
ers and freshets. During the late freshets
damage has been done, both In Woodbury.
and adjoining towns, which viii cost hun
dreds, II not thousands, Of dollars to re-
pair that to large extent might have
been avoided IL the water had been kept
out Of. the roads and run In the ditch,
where any fool knows 1t ought to run.
III the money that has been paid out of
the state treasury for instructing farm
ers when to cut down peach trees, ex-
aiming and killing some of their healthy
cattle, experimenting and inspecting
state roads, could only have been divided
up among the different towns in the state
to prevent the water from washing our
public roads, 1t would have saved thou
sands OF dollars and farmers would have
been great deal better off. It would
have been one OF the greatest progressive
steps ever taken In the state OF Connecti-
cut towards improving our highways.
III the roads were thoroughly turn
piked, as they were mp In Berkshire
county when was boy, and properly
drained by putting in good, permanent,
subEtantialssluices where they were need
ed, and then on low land and muddy
places 8 good bed OF gravel was put on
top, the roads would Last for years with
but little care or expense. The kind of
road which have just given descrip-
ti0n or was built east of Great Barring
ton, Mass, over 30 years ago and IL was
considered the best road In Berkshire
county. It was good hard substantial
road, free from stone or mud, and people
who rode over it commented upon it and
seemed 60 be perfectly pleased with il,
until the Devil entered into the Legis-
lature up in Boston, just as be did mp in
Hartford, when that unholy, upright.
eous, unjust and unconstitutional law
was passed that compels small towns
back on the hills, heavily In debt, Co help
large towns and cities build their roads,
and then after good hard substantial
roads are built, the devil comes ont with
bis trolley car and runs it right through
the center Of the road seven days in a
week For IL if Waa the Lords car Il