The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-26

T. ic |os'ihg the people annual.
'lie enormous sum or S,;5O
& ooo,ooo. which IS , ,,x no
more than. seven dollars o, cn.
every man, woman and child ,rhi',
amazing fact is pointed out bv N,rti,'
Dodge, director OF the Bureau or I,,,,,
!ic Road Inquiries, of the Department,
OF Agriculture, in Washington. Ur
advocates the construction OF hrir,,
track roads with convict labor
AS Il result OF the good road move.
mont which has been largely stimu.
lairu by the efforts OF the Dcnarimrnt
"i Agriculture, the road question is nt
present receiving Il r~marliahr Op..rrr
OF ariiN" interest. rs inuicatcu for in
>iAn'". by movement in The State of
New York for hondin. This state for
%%n,NO,nnn to build country ron,l<.
fhi$ Is wholly in line with Il bill irr.
fore tho las; nHtiunli CONGRESS- hy Mr..
t"y. Of Nir:;jni;,. tGr %l0H.rN0.",}A Co..
III" same nurlIos'$.
Mr.. ui"T declares: IA i:...t OF our
willingly having spent #'Gn Gao.,DO on
i've Philippines il is sinr 10 ,,r ,,ri!;,-
thing tangible for on" uWu ur,.Ir."
h!% is especially true" comments
Mr.. Dodge, lin view of the !"r; :na,
we ar" ""Eiinually payin@ %n ayoi,t-
ahlr mud lax OF mere ;i,on %,;In rnuu;2D
each year for the privilege or driving
over our dusty and muLiy roads. This
enormous expense is nrit"r ccmprc.
h'h""d by saying i, equals II lax OF
more than 81 each year for every man
'"u woman ana child in Che COUNTRY"
y car"iul study OF tho road prohlrn>
III delall reveals some important and
significant features. While GOOD road
St"n" is found IL vcry rrw p!ac"s in
this country, good clays Gro foy.d in
! nearly every locality e..
III these abundant clayS," Mr.. DODGE
argues. "can be used cconomically to
build good roads they will greatly as.
| SiSl In meeting the important problem
Of how to construct our country roads.
Again, as all loads are hauled over
very narrow portions Of roads through
wheel contact. railroad ears for exam
pie, it follows that if such narrow parts
of Our roads are chC%p!y constructed
TO property resist The weight Hnl grind
of IN" wagon wheels now AMI import
an; results will be attained.
Good Bicycle and 'ua,raiiI>.--it iS
| obvious that by 0vrrcomin. III" wear
and grind OF ,hc v"hrlc whrrlS tho
dust and mud question is largely on
Waited. Will" ~ tl!,' same Sine <nt&-
factory bicycle ana footpat:iS arc pro-
vi,icd.
''Whiic for country rOAii noise i!i
NOT particularly objectionable. ior city
| street work il wnulu largely Go away
| with the noise and din OF our rough
streets and prove 4 great boon, cS!lr-
| cinlly when the rarly sleep aWu rest is
| habitually broken up by the Rosy milk
| wagon passing over thc stony streets.
Our smaller towns and ciiiCS have
| many macadam S.rcr;S that al" grad
ually being replaced with brick or as
phalt pavcmcntS. Ey placing Il brick
| track in these macalam streets &u-
| nrrior advantages are secured ut .
small part Of the cost OF new brick or
asphalt pavcmcnts. The wagon Wheels.
being mostly carried by the brick
tracks, will dO but little grinding and
forming Of dust ard mud. and he rain
| ordinarily will keep the resi- OF the
streets washed clean. thuS ":Irctlally
doing away with The mud and much
! Of The dust.
I'm residence streets n heavy sod can
ais" grow directly up to th" wheel
tracks,. thus making The finest street
possible for residence purposes.
"Ihc continued advance in The area
rcnchrd by the benefit Of rural free
mail delivery under aid from the ma
tional treasury indicates It's deserved
popularity in the rural sections. y
steady increase seems probable in III"
area thus benefited until All OF ihc
more dcnscly populated parts Of this
country are covered.
Bad Roads an ODStaclc.--" the
rapid and economical extension OF ru-
raj mail delivery only one obstacle
worthy Of consideration presents itself.
| but that obstacle is Of such Il nature
as to greatly affect its practicabiity
and economy. This is the present con-
dition of our country roads.
"Without question ono OF The first
great movements toward the economic
cal free rural delivery Of the mails
should be the construction Of paSsablc
roads. This IS already evident from
the fact that some Of the mail delivery
routes have had TO be abandoned Oh
account OF bad roads.
1.-The circumstance that over six mil
lion dollars was appropriated by our
last Congress largely to be buried in
! our muddy roads in thc delivery OF our
| rural mails, while only the small sum
| OF $4,000 was last year devoted to
| meeting the road prohlcm, indicates the
! great need of education regarding the
present necessity and demand for Wig
orous and intelligent road work.
Sl. nf In
| lions for rural mail delivery could be
saved if we had good roads, it is OBJ
!; viOuS that an amount equal TO Il con-
siderable portion OF these sums coun
! be sDcnt to good advantage in cducat-
ing the people in the work or lmprov-
ing our country roads. ana thus for
ever close a large drain on our national
cash box.
"In view OF these facts could not a
! ,nillion or more be spent to the brSt
possible advantage by the national