The Jasper news., 1903-07-02
GOOD ROADS MEETING.
HELD AT LAMAR SATUR-
DAY AFTERNOON.
May Farmers Talk On The Road
Situatlon And Plans VIII Be
Formulated.

Henry File, Of this city attended tn,
good roads msrting held at Lamar last
Saturday and reports IL great success.
The Lamar Democrat gives the follow
ing account OF the meeting;
The good roads meeting, held In the
circuit court room, Saturday, vas a
thorough succrss. Leading farmers
FROM various payts Of the county we're
present, and many interesting talks were
made upon the question Of good roads.
The first work Of the meeting was to
elect n permanent chairman and secre-
tary. j. q. Petgcn, Of Liberal, was I'M
animously chosen peInan' Mt chairman,
aud James Graham, OF Lamar township
was elected secrt tary. The Hon. I w.
Harkless insisted that Arthur Aull be
chose assistant secretary, which was
done.
DIR VanMeter had gone to the trouble
to construct King drag, which be ex-
hibited 70 those present in the course Of
some rcmArks on road making. Many
road oversecrs, the doctor declared,
made roads with scrapers, leaving the
irregular masses Of fresh earth un-,
smoothed. This mad1 the roads worse
than thoy were before, as it left series
Of bumps and deprrssions, In the roads,
which never disappeared. Where roads
were made in this manner, the doctor
declared, they should bo leveled with
harrow, or a drag. Then the doctor
made a very strong talk in favor OF the
system OF dragging the roads.
s. r. Finley declared that Barton
County roads wure not ready for drag.
They would have to be remade with
grA'lers before drug would accomplish
much.
Henry File, Of RicLland, said that the
road overseers were good deal 10
blame for our bad rouds. The people
ought to leave politics out OF the ques.
ton, when they chose their pathmaster,
and select only good men. Mr.. File was
IN favor Of the townships buying engines
with which to run the road graders, lie
was also 10 favor Of the road tax being
paid in cush, Instead Of 10 work.
This talk brought forth a reioiuder
FROM Sy Finley Of Northfork. He said
that he thought the road oyerseers u.s.
ually did about the best they could An
overseer, he said, was always confronted
with the very serious problem OF how he
was going to make little work extend
over largo tstritory. Ii was a good
deal, Mr. Finley said, like spreading
small piece Of butter over large slice
Of bresd-when you got through, you
could scarcely tell, by the taste,
whether the bread was buttered or not
We must not forget, the speaker went
on To say, that the last two years had
been record breakers, when it came to
destroying roads. Those prescott would
agree, he observed rather sarcastically,
that road oversser cCuldn't control
the elements.
P,J Bell, Of R!chland, expressed him.
self, in short talk, as fAvoring the
payment q road tar 10 money Instead
OF labor. Thcn he believed that the
township board should let the contract
for fixing the roards to one man.
James Graham here made a very
forcible talk in favor Of the drag. MIR.
Graham was at the road meeting, when
Aessrs. King and Waters were. here,
aud no promised To make drag. lie
made one at 10 expense, whatever, he
declared unless it was STEW hard
grunts," when he went 10 load the log.
lie drug mile of road four times and
except for the badly washed Places, il
was perfectly level. Seven Fights Of the
way one could drive over it in sweep
ing trot, willis on the adjacent roads, q
slow walk was the best one could drive.
Even the doep bitches, which some had
said could not DO remedied, were filling
up, under the process Of dragging. Mr..
Grsham's remarks had no little ttfect
upon the minds OF those present. For
he spoke from experiences. The engines