Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-04-18
The Postum Ridge Reporter Oh
Public Road Question
PessuM RIDeE, April 9, 1906.

DEAR Mr.. EDITOR Since X.
Y. u. and those other fellows
have spread about that other piece
of road at the Baths and elsewhere,
we fellows up here have whet our
teeth 60 show EN-, and growl some.
Now, there hasn't been any of our
respects BILE citizens here on "The
Ridge" been over that piece Of
road in question, but according to
nature aRd our opinion there's a
lot of road in Rockbridge county,
of the great Commonwealth Of Vir-
ginia, that needs some work and
not the kind OF work that afOre'
said road at "The Baths" is get
ting. either. Ne Plus Ultra wants
some suggestions en- road work.
If he will get out ia the not sun
some summer afternoon with a
pick and shovel and sling some of
the dirt he wrote about, for about
seven hours. he will have some sug-
gestions.
It's our candid opinion that ii
there was more good honest work
and less criticism the roads would
be better and the suffering public
benefited whole lot, with all due
Difference to the fellows that run
the criticism aud gas depart
ments.) The great cry and wall
of anguish floats up to us for
macadamized- roads. Well, how
in the name of common sense and
the king of Spain is the money to
be raised to macadamize piece
of road from Davis's gate to the
Iron Bridge, etc. ETC., or anywhere
else? When I'll venture to say Ne
Plus Ultra and those other fellows
on the critic list, would kick
when they have to pay about 40
cents year road tax and then
pass over the roads in all kinds of
wagons, buggies, etc. etc, about
seven days in a week. Now that
3 miles, more or less, of road will
always be bad along with about 90
plus 10 per centum of the balance
of the county's highways unless
somebody goes down in their pock-
cts for the dough to put on some
thing little more lasting than
corn stalks and wheat straw.
1t won't do any good to twist,
boys. You know that you and l
amt on the free labor list and
these aforesaid county roads will
get in a bad state before we get
out and do lot of free work on
the public roads. YoulknOw how we
used to grOwl and jaw when they
made US work two days on the
road to pay our road levies. Now
as remedy and suggestion to help
Ne Plus Ultra and others; Put
up some of your hard earned
cash and pay some good hands
to do the work. Divide the prin-
clpal roads into sections, sayCf 20
miles of road to a section, hire a
good practical road man at $1.25
per Gay. Let him work four or
Ave men under him, paying them
each $1.00 per day AID leS that
gang stay on the read Every day
in the year that it is possible to
1ork and let the fellow that uses
the road pay for the keeping them
up. 1t will cost some dollars, but
IN the end it will pay. 1t amt
any use to try to bave a good JOB
of any Kind without paying the
highest price, and unless you are
everlsstingly at the road with
pick and shovel and good high
priced hand to back 'em upl they
are sure 10 get worse instead Of
better. A stitch in time saves
nine, generally more, ia most
everything and we won't except
the public highwaye, and by hav
irg those road men always on hand
often lot Of money can be saved
by q few hours work.
Did any of you fellows ever see
railroad Kept up by sending a
gang of hands over 1T twice year
to work 1t, PUT in ties and fix it in
good shape to last the six months
between trips Well, never, and
don't have any great idea that
l am likely to sec it or any thing
kept in prime order without the
little leaks are stopped. AZ for
getting the cash together to pay
the little bills Tor road men hire,
let the fellows that use the roads
most pey most. The fellows that
run saw mills, get out lum Der, rail
road ties, etc., to ship, ana haul
ali lIlhO ebQn nNO w EiA h1lNe w
market over a dirty road regard
less of how deep the mud is or the
general condition Of things, pay
his rro.rata, not to the value OF
his saw NIL and teams, but to the
amount of hauling he does. Pos
sum Ridge reporter can't see any
thing better than a higher road
tax to make good roads. Let
sex. Y. H." "Overseer", Of the
News, "Nunc Pro Tune" and "Ne
Plus Ultra" of The GAZETTE come
forth with something to remedy
the evil that they have comment
ed on.
Jimmy C. Ricketts, amt got nj
special spite at anybody tina
works the read nor the way they
work them, hut you know that il