The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-05-02


of the counties of the State.
What Il reflection upon the American
name is the fact that in most of the
older States of the Union. which have
been organized communities for more
than two centuries. there are thousands
of miles of roads, practically in no better
condition now, than i'll the early days of
the country's settlement. In Maryland
to-day, there are thousands of miles of
roads, in Cecil county hundreds of miles
of them. kept and maintained in no bet
ter fashion than they were Il century
ago.
TAX" our own county as an illustration
of the worse than useless method of mud
road building.
During every decade for the last fifty
years, from three hundred to four humid
red thousands of dollars have been ahSo-
lutcly thrown away, or an average of
from thirty TO forty thousands of dollars
annually, in patching roads, laid on mud
or clay foundations. with no view To per-
manrWt or durable construction.
And vet during all this period. 30 per
cent. of tn" products and commerce of
tn" farm. has been hauled over these
common clay or mud roads before II
could b" delivered To railroad. train
steamboat or sailing vessel.
As the value of good roads cannot br
accurately computed in money. 50 the
loss To tn" producers of this county re-
Sulting from bad ones. cannot be closely
calculated in dollars and cents.
Their" has been in the past undoubt-
eddy, rs there will be in the future plenty
Of good talk INDUCED on bad roads. and
som" bad talk on good roads, but talking
alone will not build highways deserving
the name
But while work alone which means
money vii! build them. agitation of the
question Of better roads. does some good
ut least, in exciting public interest. in
spreading information and in the local
organization of Good Roads ASsocin-
tions. Local and state.
On Monday, the Hon. William J.
Bryan INDUCED at St Louis. sensible
talk, to the farmer on the Good Roads
question.
9Th" expenditure of money" he said
for tn" permanent Improvement of the
common roads of the country. can be de-
Tended. first. rs Il matter of justice to
the people who live in the country: see
ond. rs Il matter of advantage to the
pcopl" who do not live in the country.
and. third on the ground that the wei
fare of the nation demands that the com
forts Of country life shall. as far as pos
Siblr. Keep pac" with the comforts Of city
life
1T is well known fact. or Il fact
easily. ascrrtaincd, that the people il the
country, whir paying their full share Of
county. State and Federal taxes. receive.
as II rule, only the general benefits of
government, while the people in the
cities haYc, in addition to the protection
afforded by the government, the advan-
tag" arising from the expenditure of pub
lie monies in their midst
"The improvement of the country
roads can be justified also on the ground
that III" farmer, tn" first and most i'm
portant of the producers of wealth. ought
to b" i'll II position To hold his crop and
market it 1T the most favorable oppor-
tunty, whereas at present he is virtually
under compulSon to sell il as soon a. i
is maturcd, because the roads may he
com" impossible at any time during the
fall. winter or spring.
Notwithstanding the introduction of
ire" letter delivery. the telephone. gas
manufacturing plants and the extension
of electric ear lines. there still remains a
pressing need for better country roads
Il need emphasized and made more ap-
parent by the pavement of city streets.
AS long as mud placed an embargo upon
city traffic the farmer could bear his
mud-made isolation with less complaint.
but with tn" improvement of city streets
and with the establishment of parks and
houlrvardS the farmers just demands
for better roads find increasing expires
sion"