Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-11
VALUE OF GOOD ROADS
How They Increase Home Trade
In the Bad Weather Season.
ADVICE FROM A NEW DRUMMER
He Tells the Local Merchant Why
Business Is Dull During the Winter
and SPrine-Farmers' Wives Buy
Through the Mail.t

and SPrins-Farmers' Wives Buy
Through the Mail.
The new drummer entered the Office
of the Grand Central hotel with a
scowl on his face and several smother
ed imprecations just inside his lips. He
had the appearance of a man who
wanted to use extremely hot language.
but the sight of the Methodist church
Just across the way and the Baptist
church down the street restrained him.
In other words, he was swearing mad.
He was really an old drummer.
though new to this particular town.
This was the first time he had made
the place. The drummer had come in
overland from the county seat, twenty
miles away, in a spring wagon hired
from the livery stable. His two sample
trunks were in the back part of the
wagon. They were splashed with mud.
There was mud even on the seat cush-
ion, and the drummer's clothes were
yellow with mud. The drivers APP
pareI was simply caked with it, but he
did not appear to mind a little thing
like that. He was used to it. The
horses also were caked with mud, and
the wheels of the vehicle carried sew
eral pounds each of the yellow sticki-
ness.
"Wen, / neverr' calculated the drum
mer as he wiped the mud from his
fingers before taking up the pen to reg
lister his name. This is the worst ]
ever struck. Why don't you folks
around here build some decent roads?
You've got plenty Of material right at
hand. There's rock enough along the
roadside to make the finest roads in
the land if you would only put II where
it will do the most good"
ooh, we don't worry" said the hotel
clerk, marking room No. % opposite
the new guests name. We've put up
with muddy roads from the beginning
and got along fairly well, and reckon
we can continue to navigate"
Navigation - that's the row. all
right" said the drummer. You ought
TO hire boats instead of wagons in
this section. Why. some of the places
we came through today would float
skiff."
The local newspaper editor was
standing by the desk. He smiled
grimly.
1--WE been preaching good roads to
the people of this neighborhood for
years." he sasl, but they don't seem
to take to the idea. They are pretty
good people, too. but they've formed
the habit of putting up with mud in
the muddy season and don't kick much
They say their fathers were content to
drive through the mud when necessary
or stay at home till the roads dried out.
and they think they ought to be content
to do the same
''Huhr' the drummer grunted. "How's
business here in the winter and
spring."
mighty poor" replied the dry goods
mighty poor for fact.
People out in the country don't seem to
do any trading except in summer"
when the roads are good" contin-
ued the drummer II thought as much
that is, they don't do much trading
with you here in town. But country
people are always buying something
somewhere when times are as good as
they are now. That you may put down
as a fact. Where do they buy from?'
"Well, certainly not from me-" said
the merchant.
"Of course not, because the women
can't get into town. It's the women
who do most of the buying. You know
that The farmers wives come to
town only once a month or so during
the winter, owing to your miserable
roads. They do buy things, though,
and 1 can give you a little tip. They
buy them by mail. They read these
large and luscious catalogues sent to
them by the big city mail order firms.
and they order through the catalogues
Did it ever occur to you that if you
had decent roads you would get
much larger winter trade from the
country? No? Well, think 1t over.
have just been reading some figures.
The state of Iowa, for instance, has
z, 23o,000 population. 1t has 1OO.430
miles of public roads-what they call
roads-but only $50 miles are Of mac
adam and passable every month In
the year. What do you think Of that!
Then take Missouri. That state, ac-
cording TO these figures, has more than
3 100000 people, with 10000 miles of
public roads It has only about a thou
sand miles Of well built highways
Illinois is still worse off for good roads.
Most of the states line up just about
the same. What can you eypect?"
Its a new idea" said the merchant
meekly, "and I'm going to think it
over and talk it over with some of the
other town people. We've been think
ing our editor here is good roads
crank. but I'm inclined to the opinion
now that he has more common sense
than the rest of us.
BURR JOYCE