The Grit-advocate., 1903-11-20
Defects in I:oad Legislation.

| tnp law before IL Is repeater OK cha!i-eu,
and all changes or amendments con
clMdc with this or Il similar dcclara-
ton: BE it further enacted that all
acts or parts of acts in conflict with
this act. be and the same are hereby
repealed" SO that. to fully understand
the road law in many OF the States the
inquirer has to 90 back to the days of
Patricl, Henry, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson. Andrew Jackson or
some far distant period. and rummaSe
through the musty pages OF the many
road laws that We're passed ut various
and sundry times for the improvement
of the public roads.
Road laws should be plain. simple
and easily understood, so that the COM
mon people can understand them, and
there should be much left to executive
intelligence.
Some States have over 100 sections in
their road laws. and every year thfS
keep adding to them.
Every State should have n Superin-
tcndcnt of public roads, ard every
county Il superintendent with ample
authority to view out and lay off pub
lie roads within their jurisdiction. and
to oversee and generally superintend
the construction and maintenance OF
the public roads within their respect
i've territory under the general direc-
ton of the State superintendent. This
would materially abridge the laws in
relation to public roads. for any com
petcnt superintendent can build road
better, and do it cheaper, than any Or
dinary Legislature can legally advise
him to do it, The amount annually
consumed by legislative bodies. discuss
ing. amending and changing the road
laws. would 80 far toward paying all
of the State expense of the office OF
State Superintendent of public roads.
The State Superintendent should have
annual meetings of the county superin-
tcndcnts in each Congressional district
to discuss road construction and main-
tenancc, and draft or suggest needed
legislation.
Supcrintendcnts of the different coun-
ties should he held responsible by law
for a p. oper maintenance of the roads
in good, passablc condition, at all sea-
sons of the year and if they cannot do
so should report the fact to the county
court, or Judge of the county, for relief
or rcleasement: for it should be re-
quired in all cases that good roads be
maintained and not merely that they
should be worked once year. and
the balance of the year go without at
tentiOn.
Laws should he passed in all States
taxing heavily or prohibiting the run
ming of narrOw-tired wagons on public
roads, for they are n positive injury to
all roads of every kind and grade. To
grasp this idea more fully take disc
harrow or disc plow and put 5000
weight thereon and haul it over the
roads for Il month so as to pass over
the same part of the road ten times
day when the ground is damp. and
then see the condition of that road;
then take one of those heavy steam
rollers used in road construction,
weighing 10000 pounds or more. and
have it pass over this same piece of
road for the same number of times as
the disc plow and observe the change.
This test involves the use of extremes
to determine problem. and there are
none so dull of comprehension as not
fully to grasp the folly from such
demonstration of permitting the run
ming of two-horse wagons. carrying
2.oO to 5000 pounds. with one and n
half to one and 1ive-cighth inch tires.
These wagons would destroy even the
roads that Nero built.
| am aware of the difficulty Of get
ting such a law passed in State
where the narrow tire prevails, but this
can be done by passing the law to take
effect at Il distant date. so that in pur-
chasing new wagons. or repairing old
ones. the change can be made within
couple of years without great injury
to any party. but injury or no injury it
will have to be done before good roads
can be maintained. Narrow-tired waG-
ons have long since been Outlawcd i'll
older countries. and they will have to
in this, for they are absolute deStruc-
ton to dirt roads. In order to pass
laws in some States to do away with
the destructive narrow tires it might
be necessary for the Legislature to
pass acts declaring the running of
| wagons ana oller NeIicleS Oh thc pun
lie roads in the State to be Il privilege.
and thus tax the harmful narrow tires
and not those with the legally required
widths.
And now in conclusion, what is need
cd in the way of treatment of the bad
roads disease is: less laws, fewer
changes more money, better executive
ability, mixed with one-tenth science
and nine-tenths common scnsc.-Good
Roads Magazine.