The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-01-22

w. S. Carson started in on fair
minded" discussion of the project,
but soon got very much in earnest.
He declared that there are but two
townships in the county that do not
have q railroad, Hazelton and New
Haven, and that very soon they will
be taken care Of. Thus the steam
cars take the necessity for long
hauls off the farmers, and he be-
lieves that the average wagon-haul
of the county is not more than six
miles. I'VE have no more need for
a county road system than the moon
has for whiskers!" he calculated Wig
orously.
He eulogized the farmer as a
road builder declaring that he has
taken the virgin forest in this county
blazed trails through it, cut tree
now and then, and gradually evolved
the fine system of roads we have to-
day. He referred sarcastically to the
men who don't agree with this prop
osition.
Mr. Carson expressed the belief
that the board of supervisors among
other officials had muddled things in
| Shiawassee county before, and would
| do so again. He believes that the
board would put three road commits
| sioners at work at a salary of three
dollars a day each for 365 days in
the year, thus loading down the
county with expense.
He took few shots at Earle, and
declared that "the whole thing was
the most nefarious proposition ever
presented in Shiawassee county" He
said men too lazy to work and too
| shiftless to steal would be clustering
around for those road commissionr
jobs like rats around a cheese
Next the residents of Owosso came
in for a lambasting. He evidently
believes that many of them do not
pay taxes, and declared that these
irresponsible persons" would vote
to load the farmer into heavier
chains Of taxes by balloting for the
county road system.
There are eight supervisors in
Owosso and Corunna, and they would
have things practically their own
way, since it would take county
| supervisors votes to nullify
their activity in fixing this road bus
mess to suit themselves" he said.
''The people who want the good
roads are the auto fellows and city
fellows who ride out in style. They
would vote us into debt to get them.
The cities are always getting into
debt while you find the townships
debt"
Mr.. Carson declared that the roads
were so good in this county that it
wasn't a question of GLOW are the
roads?" any more. At any time all
one had to do was to hitch up and
start out, confident of getting back
after an easy and pleasant journey.
He closed with another eulogy of
the farmer as a skillful roadmaker.
Several of Mr.. Carson's hearers
who had no opportunity to express
themselves publicly afterwards said
in private that they could not agree
with all of his remarks. One man
who, like Mr.. Carson, is against the
county road system admitted that
within the past three years when a
team could not do more than drag
an empty wagon through the moras-
ses passing as main roads in the
county.
Another said: ct seems to me
that the road near Mr.. Carson's own
home would bear improving. 1t is a
sandy stretch between two hills, one
of which is quite high You certain
ly can't take much of load over it;
while another man declared that
while Mr.. Carson had talked con-
vincingly, ''he has always been
against public improvements"
J. ID. Leland of Corunna, who was
formerly the Durand banker and
member of Durand Grange, also pro-
ceeded to take vigorous issue with
the north Owosso man, having been
called upon by the Overseer He de-
clared bluntly that farmers in his
experience were not good roadmak-
ers. "Roadmaking is trade" he
said "and pathmasters and farmers
don't know about it.
"a pathmaster warns a man out.
The man sees low spot in the road.
He takes his team; that counts
day; himself and his wagon counts
more; an eight or ten year old boy
is taken along, and he counts as a
man in working out the tax.
"The farmer takes some soil from
a spot here by the side of the road
and moves it over there. He leaves
hole behind. That fills with water;
and ruins the spot from whence the
dirt is taken, since it gets soft and
cuts up. This is usually done when
the road is just getting worn down
well, and as a result the road is kept
in bad shape about three-fourths of
the year.
NOW, if we want good roads, we
must adopt some systematic plan to
get them. And we want them for
more than merely taking a heavy
load to town. We like to get out
with our buggy all shined up, and
to come home with it clean, not all
spattered up as a result of it's sink
ing in the mire to the hubs
IL was chore-time when the
speaker had ceased, and at the sug-