Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-05-26
MUST THE FARMER PAY FOR
GOOD ROADS?
Aims Of the League of American
Wheelmcn-State Athletics
Should Help.

The trouble about building road,
is in having TO pay for them. We
of the League of American Wheel
men, know that it will take a grea
deal of money to macadamize tn,
highways extending Throughout
the country, and we also know yer,
we'll that it is unfair to expect tn,
farmers to shoulder the burden o.
THE expense. The average f,rmel
is not to be blamed if a suggestion
that the roads in his town should
be radically improved. calls forth q
vigorous protest on his part. He
has always been responsible for the
roads in his town. and he alone has
had to pay the taxes for keeping
them up. What wonder. then. that
he should believe the proposed rad.
ical improvement il to be made at
his expense. just like the annual
road work:
The League of American Wheel.
men maintains that those who pro-
fit by an improvement are the ones
who should pay for it. We main.
tain that every one using a high
way should contribute in a proper
measure to the cost of its improve.
ment. The farmer is not the only
one who uses country roads. They
are travelled by the country mer.
chant, the itinerant peddler. the viii
lage doctor, the commercial sales
man from the city, travelling by
team to sell his goods to the cross.
roads country store, and, to great
er or lesser extent, by the entire
people, not to omit, by any means,
the wheelman himself. We feel,
therefore, that If our roads are to
be improved for the benefit of all
these people, they all should bear
share of the taxes necessary to be
levied for the purpose. And it
should be remembered, too, that
the entire city population will be
benefited by the improvement of
country roads, not only those who
travel them, but all others as we'll.
For, if the farmer, by having better
roads, can save in the transporta.
ton of his produce, and can afford
to sell it cheaper in the city; or, on
the other hand, il saving in in it's
transportation gives him a larger
margin of profit on what he sells,
with more money to invest in the
things supplied by the city, this re-
suits in indirect benefits to the city
population.
A great injustice has been done
the farmers in expecting them alone
to shoulder the responsibility and
the expense of building country
roads, while the construction of ca.
nals has been heavily subsidized,
while rivers have been made navi-
gable by the government, and while
millions have been shower
ed upon railroads, by cities, vii.
lagos, counties, states and the Ma
ton, in stock and bond subscrip-
tons, cash donations and grants of
boundless tracts of public lands.
Gen. Roy Stone, chief of the U. S.
Road Inquiry Office, declares: at
is time to do away with the cruel
injustice which places upon farm
ers, and upon the small fraction of
property in the state whic own, the
entire burden of building highwass
for the whole people. The farms of |
the United States are between one
fourth and one-fifth of the whole
property of the country-probably |
not more than one. fifth-yet that |
one.fifth is providing the primary
for transportation for the
whole country. In the state of New