The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-04-04
April 4, 1902
GOOD ROADS.
A Subject Worthy of Every Taxpayers
Attention.

This is a subject that is interesting
to almost every taxpayer throughout
the United States, and it is fact
that nearly every state in the Union is
| having good roads convention to
discuss this economic question Ex-
perts as we'll as the general public
concur in the opinion that good high
ways are the best opponents of an ad-
vancing civilization.
Let no one delude himself with the
belief that road improvements benefits
the farmers alone. The cities will
have their full share of the good that
will come of it. The easier it is made
for farmers to drive to the city at all
seasons of the year. the more trade
merchants will get from them. In
short, city and country will come in
close touch and be mutually benefited
thereby. We farmers have the situa-
tion in our own hands We can in
tiuence legislation that will give us
ample road facilities for marketing
grain and all the products of our
farms at all seasons of the year.
Good roads will not only give us
this, but will save our horses, protect
their lives and their usefulness. Good
roads add to the enjoyment of country
life. The distant church bells on a
Sunday morning only cause farmer
on bad road to shake his head and
with his family, remain at home.
| How different from the man on the
other road-a prancing pair of horses
happy family, All points are nearer
upon good road, but they seem far
upon bad one.
was much pleased with Mr.. Terry's
article in the Amboy Herald a few
weeks ago, in which he stated that it
would be impossible to use stone in
a great many parts of the country as
| the cost would be too great. But we
must learn to utilize the material at
hand. If we want to build a house,
we employ mechanic to build q rail
road, we secure a competent engineer;
but when we come to our own high
ways, we elect Tom, Dick or Harry
as oyerseer and probably what one
man does one year will be torn to
pieces and remodled in some other
way next year, and in great many
districts, you will see men sitting on
their road scrapers, smoking and
swapping stories until their road work
time has expired.
Some claim that it would be better
to require the farmers to pay their
road tax money and then hire the
work or let itsby contract. But | think
this would cause great dissatisfaction
as the farmers are now taxed more
than all the other trades put together.
We need a good road commissioner in
each district, and this commissioner
! should be qualified to carry out the
best ideas of road making How can
we get competent men?
The agricultural department of the
university should teach practical road
making to the students, and the super
|
tute should secure the services of a
competent engineer to instruct the
farmers of the state. The problem of
these prairie roads is a hard one, but
the condition can be improved upon.
We must have plenty of underground
drainage and also ample side drains,
kept perfectly cleaned so that the sur
face water can all be run off A we'll
crowned roadbed raised considerably
higher than the surrounding country,
and the farmers should be required
to thoroughly harrow the roadway af-
ter each rain as soon as it is sufi-
GENTLY dry.
We need more help and how can we
get it? A state like ours that can
give millions of dollars for
capitol building ought to spare some
thing for road. improvements Some
state legislatures have made appropri-
ations upon the condition that the
county supplement the sum from its
own treasury. Another factor in
building good roads would be the util-
izauion of penitentiary eonvicts,
tramps, Migrants and certain Jail
prisoners. In one Of our sister states
it took nine convicts to build one mile
of macadamized road. If we could
employ II. 600 able bodied convicts at
the same rate we should have over 100
miles of road in a year. We all know
that tramps are a great nuisance in
this country, and as they travel the
road great deal, why not compel
them to work upon the roads and
. thereby turn nuisance into bless
ing.
The times are changing rapidly.
We have free mail delivery and tele-
phones all over the country. 1t will
not be long before the majority of
farmers will have horseless carriages
We are living in a wonderful age and
every day brings as in contact with
new wonders. All about US is motion,
and our roads must keep pace with the
grand procession j. w. Heritage, in
Amboy Herald.