Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-06-09
GREAT BENEFITS DERIVED FROM
PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED
HIGHWAYS.
HOW THE PROBLEM PREclPlTAT-
Ed BY AUTOMOBILE MAY
BE SOLVED.
RELATIVE EFFECT OF MOTOR
CARS AND OTHER
VEHICLES.

There u under way movement
going to the foundation of things in
the good roads matter. To many good
roads are an undressing and hack
neyed subject. But of their vita ne
cessity, and of the ACCESSIBILITY OF
constantly urging their construction,
there should be no debate. No other
improvement will pay to the people
such dividends as modern highways.
A nations reputation for enterprise,
progress. and all that goes to make 1t
worth living IN, is determined very
largely by the character of its roads,
the great arteries through which flow
the business and the pleasure OF the
nation.
The public road is a principal feed
er OF our civilization. We take pride
in our crops and products often for
getting public roads must bear them
to market. We lead the world in rail-
road building. But for every mile OF
railroad we have ten miles of high
way, such as it is. Perhaps this in a
way indicates the relative Importance
OF improved highways.
The benefits to be derived from d
reasonably good common road sys-
TEN would be shared by al classes;
the farmer reaping a better profit
through easier transportation to COM
mercial centers; the inhabitants of
towns and cities by the product of
their labor, reaching the rural dis
tricts more economically. This is a
fair analogous deduction from the
history of the reduction of freight
rates by the iml ~oyement of road
beds and rolling stock, to which
much OF what science, experience,
and invention have developed has
been applied.
Good Roads in the Past.
The history of good road construc-
ton al over the world reveals only a
few fundamental methods. The Ro-
mans laid down large, fat stones.
Then in France rough stones were
set on edge, d layer of broken stone
being superposed. A similar theory
was later followed in England. Early
in the nineteenth century McAdam
announced the principle that small
pieces of broken stone placed in a
layer are, by the action of water and
traye transformed into a more or
less -Jmogeneous road surface. Two
or tnree generation afterwards the
road covering effect of crude oil be-
came known.
1t is now pretty generally recog-
nized by highway engineers that the
macadam road is, for modern condi-
tons, obsolete, and that from now on
first class roads must, by the admix'
ture of proper ingredients, have a
mastic property, by virtue of which
dustless roads will become reality,
and undue depreciation from disinte-
grafton of the road be avoided.
The good roads problem, although
precipitated by the automobile, has
been left clone for generations, and
extends in its far reaching importance
and effect much further than the con
sideration of its relation to the auto
mobile; in fact, as Tar as aLy econom
ic question can reach. The automo
bile is broadly a medium OF commun
ication and traffic, upon which the
very lie of the nation depends Roads
are simply media for facilitating traf
fic. incidental to animate and mechan
ical road traction, and not an end in
themselves This last should be OBJ
yious. but some seem TO think the
preservation of roads out-ofdate fol
modern purposes is the great desider
alum. But progress in fundamental
matters cannot wisely be impeded By
Incidental considerations. 1t is clear
that the automobile is an improved
method Of accomplishing fundamen
tai function.
Autos No Worse Than Carriages.
Our roads Of the present day were
developed for horse-drs va traffic, in
the case of which the elements af
sectine the making and preservation
o. roads are materially different fron
tuJS~ "a uutOLlOOlc u 1lANs 4 AC CnSNl
Of horse-proof impact is plain. The eff
feet Of rolling and driven motor
wheels is. in great part at last, un
derstcod. II is a fact that for the
same speed an automobile Injuries &
road less. at least no more, than &
horsedrawn vehicle. On a properl!
built road the effect of automobile
trafic is beneficial. not. injurious
Very few well-informed highway en-
gineerS will state that the automobile
clone INJURIES an ordinary macadan
road more than horse-drawn We
hicls alone. The rapidly growing the
DRY IS that the meat of the prob
lem les in the combined horse an,
motor traffic: horses cutting ul
the read and automobiles dis
placing the material thus Gu
up. the automobile is not an at
normal or fragrant offender, even OF
roads which were never constructs
for K. Even If Il we're more OF an Of
fender, it must. as a medium Of pre-
gress, be provided for adequately |
is anything but ar engine of destruC
ton, a thing Of fnordinate pride.
or 2 rational nuisance" as stated b
some picture slue United States SET
af9rs. Eho perhaps may charitably b
considered 81 siiing 20 tae gayet