Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-03-08

ty. "Time enough" said she. IF
trusts to bis neighbors, he will ha'
to wait awhile yet for his harvest
{ The next day the farmer came ar
said: THE wheat is ripe, 1 cann
wait for my neighbors. must call
my friends" The young larBs we
f terribly frightened and again reques
3 ed to be removed to safety, but the o
D lark said: ''If that is all, do not
: frigh tened, for the relatives have gt
harvest work of their own" The ne,
] day the farmer came and found b
, wheat falling 20 the gr0und. He sal
e to his son I'VE can wait for on
t neighbors and relatives no longer. ID
you hire some reapers tonight and "
will set to work ourselves tomorrow.
} When the young ones told their mott
| er this, "Then." said she, lit ) sim
, to be off indeed; for when d inan take
: up his business himself instead O
: leaving it to others, you may be sur
| tudt E0 ACdl1o w GU " WOf n III Othi
nest' The grand Juries of August
, county measured squareiy up to th
mark in the past. What was righ
they applauded, and what was wrons
they held up to public scorn, regard
less of all persons and consequences
The grand jury in May, 1898, consider
ed an act passed by the General Assem-
bly, in regard to the reorganization o
the militia, and brought in this finding
"We present an act entitled an act tt
regulate the militia of the Common
wealth of Virginia passed In Richmond
% Dec. 1892, as being partial, oppres
siye, partly uniutelligible and contrary
to the principles of Republican goy
ernment."
The solution of the road question il
the solution of the question of the
prosperity and welfare of this county.
J Just i'll proportion as our roads are
deficient and below the highest posi-.
BILE standard as fixed by the whole
world, will the people be ground down
by carking cares and sordid drudgery.
And just in proportion as they ap-
preach the highest ideal, will prosper
ity increase and burdens be lightened.
What is the highest ideal of road
and the standard by which the world
judges Its efficlency? 1t Isl road that
is as good every day as it is any day,
and of grade that requires the least
expenditure of time and power. l am
well aware that there are already some
| roads in Augusta county which meas
ure fully up to this standard, but on
the principle that extremes meet-that
is, they are as bad every day in the
year as they are any day, for they are
always almost impossible. But, gen.
tlemen, 1T is by that standard We must
gauge the efficiency of our roads, and
we must never be satisfied with less
! than attaining to it completely. Some
persons say that a good work can be
accomplished by such and such a COM
lnunity which is always a great dis
tance from US, and under which thew
| believe to be more favorable condi
tions, but think with the old woman
who said, the best was good enough
for her, , and | know nothing that is
too good for the people of this county.
And there is no good thing that cannot
be attained by the people of Augusta.
1t has been done by other people-peo
pie who cannot be compared with our
own in Intelligence, courage and man
hood. And where it has been accom-,
plished, the people have been literally
picking up money out Of the road. l
shall not worry you with figures, but
where 1 give any wish you to under
stand that they are not mine. but
those of your own age lts-men whom
you employ for the purpose-men of
intellect, industry, skill and conserva
tism, who take nothing as fact until
it is proved by practice, whose state
ments are vouched for by the highest
authorities, both civil and scientific,
in the land. Upon tie authority Of
their experience and Investigation, l
tell you that by reason of our not hav
ing roads as good every day as any
day, and of a grade of the least resis-
tance, the farmers Of Augusta county y
are expending upon the single item of
hauling their produce to the local mar
ket and to the railroad stations sum
equal to one fourth of the total value
of all their products.
Now, what does this mean? II
means that for every quantity Of pro-
duce for which you now receive $75(
you should receive 81 600; or to put II
another way, for every quantity o.
produce worth 81 900, you only get $3.50
or again, the cost Of hauling 81 .00'
worth of produce to market over Ou
present roads is $3.50. in addition t,
the road levy which you pay to th
treasurer. This seems so enormou
/, that. if it rested solely on the state
, ments of theorists, | should hesitat
to repeat it to you. But it is vouche'
, for by the National Farmers Congress
, and has been verified in thousands o
/ cases by practical farmers all over tn
, country, especially by Capt. Brown,
| Virginia farmer. The same prOpos
tion viewed in different aspect, tina
e is from the testimony of the farmer
, themselves, is answered in this way
The cost of hauling over our cOmmo
f dirt roads is three times as great a
+ the cost over good hard roads. Whe
3 load is tons on good roads, it Is
! ton on dirt roads. The average cost {
l hauling ton one mile throughout th
q U. S. is 25c. The cost in the vicinit
| of CbarIOtta North Carolina Whel