The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-08-13

tor Daniel spoke on the economy anu
benefits of good highways as follows:
"a good road is a universal public
benefaction. There is not a single
member of the community who does
not receive advantage and pleasure
from it, 1t is the most domestic of
all public institutions. A courthouse
is for litigants, an asylum is for the
infrm, Jail for criminals, a theater
for entertainment, park orreaction,
a school for instruction, church for
worshipers, hotel for wayfarers, but
a good road is for everybody-saint
and sinner, man, women and child,
maid and matron, young and old, rich
and poor, healthy and sick, the lame,
the halt and the blind all get a share
of benefit from a good road.
"a good road is a mark of the prog
ress of the community in which it is
located Show me good road and l
will confidently say of the people of
the community, They are up and do
ing; they are going forward A good
road is no transient and tickle salts
faction. 1t is a slayer. Night and
day, winter or summer, autumn or
spring, it is the general public servant,
a friend that sticketh closer than
brother The antipodes of interest on
a debt, which runs against you all
the time, good road is for you and
does duty you all the time.
"A good road is a generator and a
radiator of benefit to all who live
upon it or who move upon it. A man
likes to located in land of goods. They
are the lightning rods to attract in
telligent settlers. A good road is a
faithful friend and cheerful compan-
ion. 1t is the best investment and
the best of advertisements. 1t is a
poster that nobody wants to deface
and that you can't pull down.
This is a country in which you have
got to build roads after the old Roman
fashion or after the fashion of the
good roads train-build them to stay
built. In a country of this kind there
is no economy in building what you
might call a 'tolerable road unless
you are on the top of a fair plateau
where nature has given you a good
grade. In prince Edward county the
enterprising people of Farmyille and
vicinity have built a good road accord
ing to modern ideas from Farmville
out to old Hampden-Sidney college.
AT any time you go there you can
find the farmers, with their four horse
and six horse teams carrying their to-
bacco and other products to this road.
As soon as they strike this good road
they take out all but two horses and
go merrily jogging on to town, send
ing the rest of the horses back to the
plantation. There is an object lesson
for you and one which illustrates the
economy of good roads.
What will road save? First, it
will save time. That is the most i'm
portant thing in your life that you
ought to save, because little slice of
time is all that the Creator has allow
ed any of us here out of the great en-
eternity. Whoever can save time
prolongs his life on earth to that ex-
tent. In the next place, you can save
material by having good road. This
is a department of the matter which
the satistician has never thoroughly
investigated nor the historian recoun-
ted. But your experience tells you
this: A stretch of muddy road means
the breakage of harness, the straining
of vehicles, ruined paint and varnish
on your buggies and many other pref
ty losses which amount to great
deal in the aggregate. Then there is
great saving of animal life resulting
from good roads. 1t ruins a good
horse to work him hard on bad road.
Look at the horses that are strained
Think of the increased number of
horses you have to use ON bad road.
Then think of the difference between
bad and good roads to man himself
If he starts with his produce to town,
ten, fifteen or twenty miles away over
bad road, he cannot get there and
sell it before breakfast. But on a good
road he can bring his produce with
the dew of the morning upon it ten
or even fifteen miles to town and get it
to market while it is most valuable.
Think for moment of the effect
upon the man himself. Let him have
a rickety wagon and bad horse and
twenty miles to go to town through
such mud as we have upin this coun-
try, and he will be ready by the time
he gets there to appreciate the legend
written on dial in Spain with refer
ence to the flying moments, each