The Lafayette gazette., 1903-08-22
Public Roads.

To the Editor OF The Lafayette Gazette
DEAs SlR: Will you kindly allow ms
space in your valuable paper to answer
few remarks made in your issue of the Stl
instant under the heading of '.rublie
Roads, signed ''Taxpaycr.' l was yer,
glad I" see that there one man in GU,
parish who takes enough interest in our pub
lie roads to come out and express his opin-
ion through our local press, it matters NJ,
whether he agrees with me Or not. Some
of the greatest writers we have (Which
don't pretend to claim amy kin toy, differ
very materially in their opinions of how
some k,nI of public work should be carried
Out. l claim that all important public i'm
provcmentS made in the parish that the peo-
pie have to be taxed for shorlh he thor
oushly discussed by the local papers aud
the people in an honest, in,elligen, and
friendly manner. without any mud singing
tas The Gazette justly remarks). We have
plenty OF mud in cur roads Just now 20
sling, and if the farmers some else
don't put on men and teams to open up the
bitches the road in some places will very
soon become impossible. Now is the time
it should be done all over the parish if
expect TO have good roads for the children
TO go to school. ''TaNpayer'' says he don't
think the plan advocated hy Mr.. J. Nicker-
son TO work The public road will give salts
faction to the farmers. Practically the same
system has been tried and utterly failed.
1 beg to differ with ''Ta>payer:'' he is mis-
taken. The system that Mr.. Nickerson ad-
vocates has never been tried in this parish
nor any system similar to it. l have been
told by good authority that many years ago
all the boys over IS years old and all the
poor men under 90 made to work
twelve days on the roads. \ few boys and
colored men turned out, but they didn't half
work; they had interest in the roads:
they knew they would never get any pay for
their work; the road was coed enough for
them to ride on horseback to town and back
They said if the rich la uellords or real estate
owners wanted good roads let them turn out I
and work them pay for having them
worked. think they were right, of course
as ''TaxPayer' says it proved an utter fail
ure. Mr. Nickerson never advocated such
an absurd system, any system similar TO
it. Mr.. Nick-rson advocates and claims
ing at home with his father and probably
work, and that poor man not on the
than two or three days work on the roads.
He claims that every real estate owner, old
or young, occupant absentee, should lie
axed a certain number of days work ac-
:ording to his assessment.
1 know there is quite 4 number of farmers
who are opposed TO the above system, for
,nder our present Sy ysiem of working the
Dads they are not taxed for one days work
fbo ,loII
state for road purposes (although they may
'e worth $4,000 SIS, ,ooo). These are
acts and cannot be disputed. We have two
laSses of farmers, first and second. | know
beral minded, progressive farmers are will
NJ TO have their men and teams turn out
nd h Zip build good roads if we had Il law
compel every man TO do his share of the
ut and built miles of roads at their own ex-
ense Then we have another class of farm
rs, who would rather sit and smoke their I
pes and let their men and teams lie idle for |
eeks and wallow through the mud two or ,
lree months in the year than 10 do their
lare of road work have their real estate |
xed for it. I think it is quite possible that ,
raxpayer' tjudgng by his article in The
azette), belongs to the latter class. S
J. NICkERsoN.
lafayette Building. Association. y,