The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-03-30
PUBLIC OPINIO NJ

Editor Morning News:--I notice
again that Mr.. Brissel disputes my
knowledge of the Front woods. Why
the little school boy would know that
the crow does not build its nest on
the old stump, but the crow is like
the smart Aleck. The crow flies high
and makes great noise; and when
the farmer is not watching he flies
down and fills his craw. You say
that three-fourths of the townships
have no gravel to fill mud holes.
would suggest digging a ditch in the
middle of the road, then tile and fill
with some of your sand that you are
throwing in the farmers eyes. Now
why don't you tell the people how
you would get the gravel, or any other
material in three-fourths of the town
/ ships, without an increase of taxes?
You say that we cannot make ay-
thing but mud holes with our present
system. II we can not, how can you?
| Now, you want to know how | got
the 1000 miles of road in Stark
county? ! thought you would ask
that question. | will tell. you. You
say in your literature that you trav
eled 10000 miles of wagon road in
Stark county in the last four years
That would mean 1900 a year, and
the way you Good Roads advocates
say, the roads are a sea of mud, or
one mud hole, but you have divided
1t into 100000, and you know that
travelling over 100000 mud holes
would be about four times as far as
the true distance. You know any
thing swells when it is wet.
Now, Mr.. Brissel, you say you want
to inform me that the Good Roads
Equestion is Republican question. If
that is SO, why do you ask the Dem
ocrats to attend your meetings, and
why do you appoint Democrats as
vice presidents? ! want you to un-
derstand that public roads is a ques
ton that concerns us all, and especial
ly the country people, when you want
| to change the system of building
country roads. ! think it concerns
people, and therefore l speak as |
do.
Mr.. Brissel, you agree that the pic
ture on your literature is an insult to
the farmers, and you say so are the
mud roads of our county, You have
said the mud roads are a disgrace
Now, don't you know that there is
| in
what Rev. j. s. Reager of Simpson M.
E. church, preached Sunday evening,
Feb. 25th: Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy, and honor thy
father and mother" Notice what he
says he saw on your streets, and ]
believe he told the truth, and think of
the disgrace you have in your city.
think if you take the cobwebs from
your eyes that you will see that the
mud roads are not as great an insult
or disgrace to the hayseed, or pump
kinthresher, or farmer, as we are
| sometimes called, as the disgrace
Rev. ]. S. Reager speaks of, in your
city. And from other things we read
about in your city, | think you would
have enough to do to look after the
many bad roads that lead to ruin In
your city-not the country roads.
You suggest that | make a trip to
several townships in the county and
see their bad roads. Now, that is
just what | am trying to show you
that we should not NEEDLE in other
peoples business. When they ask
us to look after their roads, then it is
time enough, and not until then. You
say the hayseed dropped on the Good
Roads question should be sowed on
my fields to furnish feeed for the
market. / agree that the more seed
sowed the more hay for market, but if
your Good Roads ideas prevail, then
the city people who buy our hay will
have automobiles and will not need
hay. So we might have to furnish
hackwoods farmers to teach how to
drive manly on the public road.
You say allow you to submit the
funds collected in Stark county road
fund in 1905, and you say if | should
not be able to digest the figures for
Good Roads l should secure a box of
your mud tablets and become a Good
Roads advocated have not the time
to secure any mud tablets, and l am
afraid they might be mixed with
wood alcohol, and further, you will
need all the mud tablets at your good
roads convention, so l will digest your
figures without. / will take it for
granted the figures are correct, as I
dare not smoke within the walls of
the court house, and there being no
Democrats or farmers in the court
house. feel as though was out of
my place.
Well, as to state and county road
fund, $9,39S.42, don't know, but for
township road taxes, of $52, ,415.62, that
is well spent for grading and repair
ing our roads, for county road and
| hrtd