The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-17
As TO GOOD ROADS,
A LONG TALBOT WOE
The Old. Young Man Comes In
With Some Rather Exag-
gerated Figures.
BUT breaches GOOD ROADS
An Appeal for Better Organized
Effort-Let the People
Get Together.
BUT breaches GOOD ROADS

The alleged young man.. has again
written the Industrial Section on the
good roads question. 1t is more than
gotten his liver little out of fix.
AT any rate. his doleful view of con-
ditions in the country must be taken
with at least peck measure fun of
grains of allowance.
For instance, the number of families
he has moved from the country to Il
certain small but growing city" would
run the present population of that city
far beyond anything its most enthu-
siastic boomers have placed it at, and
very far beyond what the census now
being taken will give 1t.
Likewise his account of the pauclty
of wealth in the rural regions must
be taken with something near to so
per cent. discount, but all the same
hie views on the advantages of good
roads are sound, and the Industrial
Section is going to give his ''lnalarian''
effusion space, believing that 1t may
do good, and In the meantime will not
drive away any settler in search OF
cheap lands upon which to make an
easy living away from the old state.
Here is tho tale of woe as it was
writ:
One of the small, but growing cities
of Virginia has drawn from the coun-
ties surrounding her not less than
5000 white. families as operatives for
her factories. foundries, mills. machine
shops and other industrial enterprises;
not less than the same number of
negroes have come into the same city
as laborers or have gone North to
the coal and iron mines or public
works of various kinds, and their
places on the farms have not been
supplied. Thus we SEQ 5000 families
transformed In one section from pro-
ducers to consumers. While the above
is true. 1t is merely an illustrations
because what Is true here is true OF
all other sections of the Common
wealth. We see here one of the causes
OF the increased cost Of living and
Of the low price of farm lands.
Nobody knows, but Intelligent mon
think that not more than one- fourth
Of our arabic land Is being cultivated,
which means that this one fourth has
to pay the taxes and tries (too often,
Alas! in valn) to pay the interest on
the three-foulths laying idle, bur
equally able If given chance. Of
paying profit to the owner.
The traveller through this section
Is rarely out OF sight OF the vacant
CABIN, the mute but pltlful Witness OF
Its owners condition,
'Of course, the natives who have
left the country and are comfortably
domiciled In towns Will not go back
to the farm, and SO our only hope Laws
In immigration. With the many God
given blessings OF climate, water and
health, located on the Atlantic slope
With an average of from twelve Ia
eighteen hours time distance from
Washington. Philadelphia, New York
and the intermediate cities, with a
combined population of 10000, 900 peo :
Pile, all consumers, and our natural
customers, WeSdo Very little to supply
their wants. Why Is rthisftrue? There
are various reasons, one of the most
potent of which Is that our roads arc
too bad to permit lis to do a dairy.
truck or other business. which res
CURES and demands every day In the
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