Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-04-09
Good Roads.

The Good Roads Convention, held at
Charlottesville last week, concluded its
session Saturday night Gen. Fitzhugh
Lee presided, and many speeches were
made 10y the foremost advocates of good
roads in the UIited States. During the
Convention, work was begun on
the road leading from Charlottesville to
Monticello. This work will be COM
pleted before the Southern Railway Good
Roads Train leaves that section of the
State. The purpose Of the good roads
train is to travel over the country and give
object lessons in road making, wherever
II Is thought most good can be done.
As Thomas Jefferson's tomb and earthly
home are near Charlottesville: and as
people from all over the United States
visit Monticello every year, it was
thought the building of good road at
that point would do much toward crys-
tallizing the popular sentiment in favor
OF good roads, and bring about more
actual effort in this great undertaking.
In this connection we publish clipping
from New York paper on the matter
of Virginia legislation, which we think
will be Of general interest to our readers.
1t is as follows:
Apparently the Virginia Legislature
looks TO the ever-sitting Virginia Con-
stitutiOnal Convention for the wisdom
that Is 10 make the State prosperous.
At any rate, that Legislature seems TO be
little short in the matter of common
sense. Last week il rejected a bill for
building good roads The vote was
close but the hunkers won, the fellows
who think that il is a waste of money
to spend tupOn the necessities of a civ
ilized community \ stream that can
be fOrded, if there is no freshet. needs no
bridge, and a path which mule can
iiOunder through the spring mud is good
enough. Shall an honest veomanrv.
their country's pride. be taxed in order
that dudes may dash along the high
ways in automobiles. The Virginia
roads are As good as they used 20 be. and
why should people set up TO be smarter
than their fathers and their grand
fathersg The rigid conservatism of
many members of Legislatures as to
roads is only too we'll known The
farmers, who would get the most benefit
from improved roads, are too often the
slowest 10 see the value Of such improve
ment.
Away from the cities, the Virginia
roads as a class, are mighty hard TO
travel. This Is not 10 the diScredit of
Virginia, for richer states. in which has
been much more traffic and travel. have
been stiff necked and thick headed about
building comfortable roads. The max
ing Of excellent roads has Just begun.
even in the North, and il takes a good
deal of missionary ardor and patience TO
beat into the nOddle of a Legislature
that good roads are a good thing from
every point of view, and that money APP
prOpriated for them is a good invest
ment. II will take generations to i'm
prove a great State like Virginia with
commOdious roads, but they will come.
They are as necessary as railroads
Plenty of money is wasted in Virginia
as in other states on antiquated futile
tinkering of hopelessy bad roads
As soon as the farmers understand
that every bad road is money out of
their pockets, Legislatures will be
afraid 10 vote against bills for improve
ment.-New York Sun.