The Semi-weekly leader., 1909-09-04
Some Of The Reasons Why We Do Not
Have Good Roads.

We fully agree with the editor of
The Leader that the contract pro-
posed to be entered into is indefi-
mite, foggy and crude IN the ex-
treme.
First Of all we would insist that
the contracts be definite, explicit
and as brief as possible. $50 that a
wayfarer, though a fool. need not
err therein. =
And to say that told you SO
when we begin to hear complaints
from all sides that the roads are no
better than under the old contracts
will be poor consolation. Now is
the time to speak or forever hold
your peace.
The Board might be doing their
very best to force the contractors
to do the right thing by the people,
but having a lame contract, would
be powerless to give us any mate.
Trial relief.
With an instrument so crude and
lame as the one proposed for con-
tractors, the contractor would not
have to go to Philadelphia to get a
lawyer to construct ways and means
whereby he could force the county
to pay him, though he had done
very little in the way Of building
roads. And by the way, my OBJ
servation has been that about the
first thing a road contractor de-
cides that he will need. the most
during the life of his contract is a
lawyer; consequently retains him
one at once, considering the work,
ling of the road a secondary consid.
eration. which it has been in some
beats; Beat A, for instance.
| The only thing that has beer
Iplain and explicit in the road con
tracts IN the past and the one now
proposed, is that we pay the con-
tractors all the funds that are col,
lected for that purpose.
Make the contract specific as tt
how the work is to be done, anC
not to pay. only as each mile is put
up to plans and specifications, max
ing it binding on the contractor tt
keep the balance Of his mileage in
passable condition until he can have
worked over his entire mileage
once; thereafter to keep all hi:
road in first class condition, during
the life Of his contract. Now
right here, some might say it viii
be too long before the contractor
could get over his entire road. I'm
sure it would not take over Il
months if the party or parties are
equipped at all for the business
and ! feel confident that all will bt
willing to wait for his turn if they
can see something being done in {
material way to the roads. That We
are patient people has already
been more than proven, especiaIly
along this line.
4 Now there is one idea that seems
to have gotten riveted in nearly
every ones mind. and that is the
16 foot road. Now | can't for my
life imagine how we ever took thai
as the proper width for public
road, unless we got the idea from
Bryan-16 feet to one road as oul
contract system was introduced just
about the time the Commoner ano
his 16 to / idea were SO popular ir
our section.
The most absurd of all PROPOSE
tlons. is trying to build and keer
in first class condition public
road of dirt in this billy country OF
ours, only Is feet. 1t. will take
twice as much work to keep up 1e
foot road as it does a "a foot road.
make this statement without fear
of successful contradiction. AS
one driving is IN the ditch or bor-
1dering on getting into one or the
other of the bitches on Is foot
road all the time. And cutting
the roads up so near the bitches by
the wheels of the vehicles, and the
great amount of rain we have
through this section. keeps the
roads constantly breaking at the
edges, causing them to wash very
much more than they would other
wise. This not only causes the
roads to get into holes and very
narrow places, on the sides Of the
hills, but causes so much more loose
dirt to be washed down to the more
level places and there opstruct the
bitches and thereby cause the water
to overflow and cause a break at
these points.
Think of this feature, gentlemen
of the Board. seriously, and see If
HIM not right. Require the first
class roads to be at least "a feet.
We are paying enough to have
good roads, give them to US. We
feel that you will profit by your
past experience and that Of your
predecessors and get up a plain,
specific, sensible and binding con-
tract and then hew to the line, is
what the people expect of you and
no more.
Yours respectfully,
TAXPAYER.
Do<.,.< Cyt<skA< C1x@4 . 10n0