The Newtown bee., 1901-09-06

this state and Massachusetts about
 this great state humbug, it reminds
 me of a company of dogs all after one
 bone and each dog is jealous of some
 other dog for fear they won't get their
 share, or the best end of the bargain.
 The more l see and hear of state roads
 and state aid the more and more dis
 gusted l am and the more l am con vinced it is like bone with precious little meat on it. Or in other words it is like bone with just enough meat on it to make one town jealous of some other town. When state roads first be- gan to be agitatedin town, my name was among the first to sign petition because l was told that if the town raised a certain sum of money the state and county would appropriate a certain sum, and as I have always been
 in favor of good roads upon the inn pulse of the moment I ignorantly signed the petition.because thought it from h. state and county. Besides l was told that Woodbury would hay: to
 help other towns build their road whether they did or did not make ap- plication for an appropriation. So of course thought it was all right for one hand to wash the other (nOt know ing that the devil was furnishing the soft soap to wash with.
 But when had counsel from what 1 considered good reliable authority and found out what the law was and what state road was and what it cost to survey and build state roads, Superin- tended by state commissioners and that after road had been accepted by the state commlsslon that hereafter it was no longer a town but state road and that it had got to be kept in re- pair at the expense of the town super intended by state commissioner then
 my eyes began to open and the more 1
 see and hear of state roads and state aid the more and more l am convinced that their origin was in the dark world of despair and the prime mover is the one Christ called the father of lies. For don't believe that holy, righ- teOuS and just God or an honest man will ever practice so much deceit and iniquity as some towns have in Massa- chusetts ard Cont ecticut, to get a little money to build road with.
 The day attended my mothers fu neral there was an impression made upon my mind that I believe will re- main as long as believe the inspired
 word of God. have heard old gray headed people that were born and all ways lived in this state, say that this
 state aid law was the most unrigh- teOus and unjust law that ever was gin of the state. When state roads inst began to be agitated there was a promise of county aid also. But when a certain town sued the county when there wasn't a dollar in the treasury, then county aid played out and last year the state treasury was so nearly empty that several towns couldn't get
 the appropriation and any fool knows that if every town in the state should apply for state aid, the state treasury 1 would be as empty as the county trea-
 sury was when there wasn t dollar in it, and then an additional tax would be levied to meet the demands of the diff ferent towns of the state. I cannot
 help thinking of what Judge Hunting
 ton told me in the presence of the state commissioner. These are the
 words of the judge: II told the gentle man that he would have to pay coun- ty tax and hope he has learned a les
 son." AS had no opportunity to an- swer the honorable judge l would like
 to say to him and to all others that ad-
 vocate state roads: l have learned sev- 1 eral lessons since l crossed the line of
 my native town and some of them by very dear experience and have always
 been sorry that didn't say something to the state commissioner when he avoided an honest, reasonable and lm- portant question in regard to the dura-
 bility of state roads. For at the time
 he came to Woodbury to advocate
 these wonderful roads he told us that
 we could ask him any questions we
 wished to. So one of our merchants
 asked him how long these roads would
 last and his reply was: Everything l wears out but the mercy of God."
 So according to the testimony of l those who are paid large salary to advocate state reads, these wonderful roads are not heavenly roads for they
 will wear out and need repairing. In my barn is a broken carriage that was
 broken driving on slow trot on this wonderful road on account of an un- I even place in the road, and only short
 time ago l came from Waterbury l through Watertown and I had to walk | my horse nearly all the way on account
 of the mud So as long as we stay here | in this world there is nothing outside of plank road or pavement that will
 prevent mud and uneven places in the
 road and if the stone and water is kept
 out of the travelled path and the mud
 holes are filled with stone and gravel on top, isn't it more economical and far | better than having such an expensive
 survey and paying such enormous sal
 aries for state bosses when each town
 can boss their own roads and save their
 travelling fees and office bills. And | above all after a road has been accept ed by the state commissioner it is no | longer town road but hereafteris is un-
 der the care and supervision of a state commission. Now if the state should
 build every road in town, free of ex-
 pense to that town, how much better off is that town in the future under a
 state commissioner without any state
 aid, but obliged tn keep these state
 roads in repair to the acceptance of a state commissioner? Or in other words
 how much better off is the town
 to foot all the bills and let the state do 1 all the bOssing. It is on the same
 principle of consolidatingI district
 schools, factories and mills. 1t may
 help cities and large villages, but the poor and unfortunate are left out in the cold, as those who were dependent
 upon the plants that have been re-
 moved from Newtown and other places
 where so many honest people have been
 thrown out of employment.
 A short time ago l read an account
 of person sending $500 to find out
 how to get water without digging a
 well and the reply was: "Pet an onion, you fool" Now such answers as that takes $500 out of poor mans pocket