The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1903-04-02
SOME REASONS WHY
ROADS ARE NOT GOOD.
Personal Experience in Road
Working.

To get men 10 do an honest dAs's work
even after they have been properly warned
and have pnt in their appearances, seem,
ingly for the purpose Of working the road.
is recognized everywhere az great prob (
len.
To observe . body Of average ~orkers Cd
on the public roads Of the country and
note we'll their implements and anbusi-
ness like proceedings, one ~iil net then
he surprised At the many failures IN eos-
sisuoiinr roads. ! remember we'll when
I vas boz. the fret time worked the
public roads. ] vent a. substitute for
ny older brother. Il was auique look
ing crowd that met that morning at the
creek near the old 'squirc's home. There
we're eighteen Of az. There was not
man in the crowd that owned a foot Of
land. and only foar Who cvned any live
stock except togs. Of them, al Of us had /
more than ~ere either useful or oruR-
mcutal Only one had as many ~ two /
horses. and they we're both blind. The /
land and stock owners, and those people /
Who would seem should have been most
interested in good roads had claimed eS-
cmptiou upon one excuse or another, or
sent bows or other different substitutes
while they remained at home TO attend TO
affairs Of their own. No crowd Of men
could have had more inferior tools. IL
looked a. g. the very wotst lot Of dull,
wotu ont. rusty picks. shovcis, matiocks,
axes and common wedding hoes in The
ncirhbothood had been picked up for the
purpose of playing part in some bur
icsquc Performance striking At 1.-THE horny
handed sous Of toll" And 10 certainly
Jid prove 10 DC burlesquc road working
uh.thcr 20 intended or not. Many de-
cisrcd that they would not bring their
best tools 90 duh and wear ont in road
- working for which they roi nothing Our
boss. or foreman, was Capt Porter, Who
- had been o. brave officer in the army aud
was then a good shoemaker and knew at
about dfiliirg soldiers aud repairing shoes
bot very little about drilling men 20 make
or repair roads lie had declared iu biz
aaut way that hc knew nothing more
p. than a rabbit about such work. AID th'
suitable men Of tine nciehhorhood ta'
gotten excused from appointment Boy th'
court omriais The captain. being goo'
naturcd man, va. finally prevailed upon q
accept thc dcspiscd position oi foreman.
The old Squire came oui that momiu|
,., and stayed about u- giving suggestion
most OF co., time while We vcro ou thc hi
ncar bis home. Ever, Que oi us WAS airai
ol ihe Squire on account of his sar0osc
power boz Law Affairs, while in Die .ish
we worked quite sell. hut Whom We g.
o,cf thc boa what change an ~as dii
l,fcui Tho road workers within a twink
III Uug vcte turned into Ioaicrs dchatiu
,p -ocicir Tho most Of us stood ahou
D. leaning CON or nursing ihc handles OF ot
- tools. or sitting in thc fence corner
spending our time iu whiting. arEuiu
about shat road lass ~ere and what ro'
sn'' law. should Doe.
While perhaps there vas not, Boa %
l., rral meaning of thc term. a rich man in
hundred miles Of us. many people Boz q
uoighbofhood posed rs such aud had ii
pressed thc most OF our road workers th
thc, vcre The genuine Article. ANY wa
- much of the time vac spent 300 abuse
NNN. NN|N NH HNNNNNNH anu N" N.fN'NIfNH
iloso Who wcrc absent from road workir
"a Itahlue uo interest iu BE-. neither -eudi
good substitutes, nor paving fines accoi
. ,ni inc 90 Law These acts of injustice cau-
,. the great majority of oul good road Woi
.ioa crs to express thi- oqinion--ihat uo ga
- could bc honest and rich az che same tiu
one Of tac iavorite Bitle quotations ca.
Raj. rrI.Il
Jos being easier ior the camel Co
icons through thc eve OF needle than Go
r.lNI r.ch man Co enter the Kingdom ot hcav
Kinds rrank ~trattou Said "lou Know bic
" ork impossible for that quairc cutter we s'
'cial- Deb Uncle John kobinson's shoe %
iul-l through TIE eve OF needle, why.
- couldn't cit one hair of bis whisk
through &c, and it stands TO reason that
tson. couldn't get STATED through the eve
N, che biggest needle ever hcaru of on
side OF the Nrarth. even DO hy didu Dbl
that biz hump GA bis back. That's
ihc same as 70 the good book said the 3
iics, man. got 60 barn aud bc can't hslp his
willie, uuthcr. Mis money won't DO him no 8
then"
- Doe Mullen at rule was not much
talkcr, hut after The decision had %
$, arrived az about the impossible feat
she camel which settled the rich M.
tate, Doc spoke up and said You fei
rgtry are the most aos,oas 10, TO so to Tie b,
r. - ever seed iu al NV born dave" Nv
- ~ 90 YOU meant" asked Jim Woolhn
1898 49, ~, - M ~ ,oes 10 ~ bo, D,
- when be dies ard there IL not f.
- among YOU that hasn't some schcm
: rs, other 10 get rich. which he thinks of
day and dreams 10y night. oue OF
tod me you kuoved mighty nigh the
rOa ..a s s' s ss ssa . 5ss s' ss..
that she iuiuus used 70 work and y
bird sno,he, ef sou i a. tse rail o.
bashei pot Of spanish gold and silver
robbers In oiteu times hid summers /