Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-08-15
ROAD IMPROVEMENT.
A Few More Sober Sugges-
tons.

riate the favor You have shown me
in giving me Il prominent place i'll
your excellent paper for my article
on the subject of bonds and rock
roads, and | will presume to ask
your further indulgence while |
pen you one more article in con
hrmation of what has been said in
the former communications. We
are not dismaycd. nor surprised,
that some of our good citizens OPP
pose the suggestions. The best
things that have blessed the world
in all ages and countries have had
their opposerS, and very often
from unexpected sources. was
in the eastern part of the county
last week and spoke to many peo-
pie on the subject. and find most
of the better Informed and the
practical thinking men endorse the
plan.
The editor of the Laddonia Her
aid and the editors of some other
papers of the county lose sight of
the main issue and call it a calam-
ity howl. The pressing and indis-
penSible need of rock roads is the
issue before us in this discussion
and the hard times and the needs
of the people within the next year
or so is only referred to incident
ally as n pressing reason why the
roads should be built now. The
better the times, the greater the
advantages and convcnienccs of
the improvements.
The editor of the Nandalia Lead
cr can see nothing in it but the
sordid lust of the Mexico monyed
man to secure the nONtaXable
bonds of the county and some 9TH
crs insinuatc that all the roads
would be built toward the Athens
of the county. meaning Mexico, of
course. If these gentlemen would
remove the beam of jealousy and
prejudice from their own eyes they
could see more clearly the mote in
their neighbOr ; eye.
Let me repeat that, in my first
article, il was plainly
suggested that the money be divi-
ded fairly, according to the taxa
bic valuation of each township, or
by some other rule, whereby each
township or town in the county
should receive its just dues in the
division of the money to be eX-
pended in the building of the
roads. Can't these opposers of
the project give some plausible
reasons for their opposition!
One man said to me that it was
II Republican scheme. Oh, my! |
have been accused ofmany things,
but that is the first time | have
been accused of advocating Il Re
publican scheme.
But we ought not to be too pre-
vious. Look at our fine poStDf-
flee building-the pride of the
county and an ornament to our
city. 1t is the only favor the
Ninth Congressional district ever
received from the government ut
Washington; and it stands here as
Il reminder of the terrible blunder
the people made in sending a Re-
publican Congressman in 1896.
So, my friends, don't forget that
some good can come even out of
Nazareth.
was in Rails and Pike coun-
ties last week and made some in
uuirics in reference to the gravel
roads built there. The turnpike
from New London to Hannibal
was built more than forty years
ago. and has been II great feeder
of the latter city. And the people
of Rails county have spent, in
these forty years, as toll, more
money than would have rocked ak
the roads in the county.
And the county court has made
many efforts to buy the road, hut
the owners find it a good invest
ment and refuse to sell it at Il
reasonable price.
SO, in Pike, Jno. b. Henderson
x Co. built many gravel and rock
roads in that county and after
wards sold out to the county mt
great profit, SO, YOU see, Mr. Ed
itor, if private corporations can
build and operate rock roads as
paying investment, why can't the
county as II corporation, and ev-
-: :..-.- 1921 -. % 49,