Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1900-09-13

more potent in social, politi-
cal, and commercial wellbe-
ing than the public highway.
There is nothing which by it's absence.
it's presence, its goodness, or its bad
ness, may so make or mar the COM
munity which uses it or would like
to use it, as the road by which its
people may come together for the dis
cussion of matters of public good or
for that traffic in products which
stamps man as the trading animal.
Therefore the man who makes two
: blades of grass grow where but one
grew before has his counterpart as
public benefactor in the person who
puts down Il good, solid, horse saving,
gon-econOmiZing rOadbed where at
first only rocks and mud or dust and
sand held full sway. Roads, like peo-
pie, are prone to wear into rutS, and
many of the ruts in which the farm
sr's half-laden wagon jolts are pri-
narily caused by the ruts in which the
farmer has jolted his representative
legislative assemblages. The farm
er has always wanted good roads, but
lad to pay for them, consequently
1e has generally looked upon any
movement in their direction as raid
lpon his own pocket. 1t required,
;hen, some new force to join hands
md voice with him both in the de-
nand and in the suggestion of ways
md means.
This new force has arrived in the
Eicycler. Banded under the banner
of the League of American Wheelmen,
The riders of the tireless tire have since
heir organization, in 1880, raised the
Ty of good roads, and have kept
up with woundrous energy. They
lave through their engineers devised
n selected the best methods of making
he cheapest durable thoroughfares,
)ut they have conquered many Obsta-
lies that have stood between them
md other groups of persons who are
% be benefited equally with them in
securing smooth roads, though these
very groups hesitated to join the
wheelmen'S movement, for fear it was
selfish and was designed to saddle the
costs up on them. The horsemen who
drive fine road stock and the farmers
have been the two classes which have
required the warmest efforts Of the
good roads crankS,' as some of the
wheeimen are called, to wipe away
suspicion But the suspicion has now
eVapOrated.
The Farmers National Congress has
passed strong resolutions in favor of
the wheelmen's way of getting good
roads. The State aid system,as shown
in the resolution, recites that the cost
of construction of tirSt-class roads con-
Meeting farms with market towns is
too considerable to be borne by farm
property alone; that as the entire pop
ulation is benefited directly and in
directly by good roads all property
ought to contribute through the me-
dunn of State tax. The HigbeeArm-
strong law. by which State aid has
been introduced in New York, pro-
vides for a division Of the cost of road
construction among the State, the
county, and the local township, and,
it is said, many Of the towns avail
ing themselves of it will secure from
outside sources four OF five times the
sum they raise themselves, while in
the large cities, which will pay most
Of the funds, the tax will not fall more
heavily than one cent per thousand
dollars of the assessed valuation. 1t
is by making such calculations that
the League of American Wheelmen
has fought its way to the farmers
sympathy.
1t is no wonder that the farmer
feared the cycler at first. The man
Oh wheels was at first looked upon
as a dude in knee breeches, out for an
airing with his best girl, who demand
ed that others should, without cost to
him, smooth the roads that he alone
might have more pleasure. Then the
Wheelmen's League spent vast sums
of money printing illustrated road
books, thousands of which have been
distributed, free of cost, and other
thousands barely at cost In various
quarters they have raised large sums
to build cycle paths between sections
of country, on which the cyclers pass
to and fro Oh business and pleasure.
Money has been spent by them, as in
Mr.. .Dorner's case, to be represented
at conventions and to spread what
they love to call the gospel of good
roads, and now in Baltimore Chief
Consul Sans, of Maryland Division,
League American Wheelmen. and
Chairman Auguste Faure, of the Di-
vision Committee on Highways, are
holding out the hand of friendship to
the hOrsemen, and endeavoring to lay
out a combined speedway and cycle
path that shall be a local monument to
the battle of good roads and serve as
a model to be followed by visitors
from every community who take a
spin, a ride or drive upon it. May
their efforts succeed in full measure.
Baltimore Sun.
Female observations.
Inspiration. like death, always comes
uneXDectodly.