Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-07-09
THE ONLY WAY
In Which Good Roads may be
Secured and Maintained.

Secured and Maintained.
Present Tax Dodging Plan held upsto
Ridicule-Fr0lics and Fun Take
Place of Real Work-Cash Plan the
Only One Alternate Road Law Dis
cussed.
To The Editor of the NEW DOMINION.
AS you have invited correspondence
on the subject OF good roads, / am
moved to make contribution to the
most important matter which now or
cupies public attention.
l am not a road builder and do not
claim to be an expert, or to have any
special knowledge other than that I
have gained by interested observation
in the number of states
Nevertheless, blunderbus as / am,
| am going to assume that / can tell
the county court and the people who
are moving Ia this matter, how they
may have good roads all over this
county in the next ninety days, and at
a cost not exceeding the usual expen-
ditures OF the county for this pur-
pose.
This is bold proposition, and
doubtless the county commissioners
will say that l am the fellow they
have been locking for, il l can make
IL good. But do not come with any
mere theory, but demonstrated fact.
There is nothing original about it,,
nor IS it experimental yet like many
other simple things in an agitation
like this, it is passed by and strangely
overlooked, although believe it to be
the 'sina qua nom OF the situation.
want it understood, too, that my
proposition is not offered in competi-
tion with any other that is being con-
sidered, or by way of obstructing or
dlsparaging any plan that may be put
on foot; for have such pervasive
sense Of the Importance of new deal
in relation to our public roads that l
would favor anything and everything
that promised an improvement, know
ing, however, that whatever course is
taken the millennium will never come
till my plan is adopted.
In the course OF the remarks made
by Mr. Harrison, the Government ex-
pert, at the recent meeting, he said
that "no county ever has good roads
which does not get its road revenue
10 cash." This remark fell upon the
ears OF his audience without any spe-
cial significance, and was forgotten
the next moment, although it was
the most pertinent thing be said, con-
tanned the key to the whole situation,
and was at once the explanation of
our bad roads and the suggestion Of
the remedy. 1t was as if he had said:
You are simply repeating history in
your county, and no county has had
any other kind OF roads than you have
while adhering to your method of
maintaining them; and you will have
the same kind of roads till the end
OF the world unless you change your
method
In other words we are trying to
maintain our roads and have good
roads under system that has come
down TO us from the time Of the In
dIans, and probably originated with
them, by which the County Court APP
points supervisor or Dancing Master,
or End Man for each district, and
this official periodically calls out his
his company of performers composed
Of farmers, drovers, merchants, music
teachers, preachers, trucksters, black
smiths, pedlers, loafers, and gentlemen
of leisure for a frolic on the road side.
Most Of them do not know road when
they see it, and the balance do not
care whether it is a road, or cow-path
or mere Indian trail. They have not
come out to make road but to have a
frolic. They lounge on the bank, tell
stale jokes, exchange the local scandal,
smoke pipes, and guy those who occa-
sionally make feints as though they
were making road. They skelp lit
tie dirt, throw it anywhere and every
where, throw big boulders in the mud
holes, and when they have thus spent
the day they shoulder their picks and
20 home, and the county credits them
with their road tax!
The only skill that is needed in this
kind OF road making is that Of lodging
the road tax.
tbs simply and solely tax-dodging
scheme. 1t is farce and fraud. 1t
is the patent source of bad roads. 1t
never did make good roads. 1t is inn
practicable and non sensible TO ex-
pect good roads under such a system.
No wonder that, as Mr. Harrison said,
"thoss counties never have good roads
which do not collect their road reve-
nues in cash.
And yet, for hundred years this
county has tolerated and perpetuated
this swindle. 1t is diverting to OBJ
serve the road tax-dodgers are always
present in the Legislature and succeed
in lacking this scheme upon every road
law that is enacted
Not one successful step can be
taken toward good roads until this
fraud is eliminated. No matter that
We conclude to make macadam roads,
they will not maintain themselves.
The best road that can be devised will
not continue long without need OF re-
pair. II we continue to depend on