Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-16
,Stetial to The Tribune.

StetiaI t., I he Tribune.
San Antonio. Texas. Nov. H.. In the
absence of federal or state aid tor
good roads southwest Texas is setting
about the solution of the good roads
question in manner that may be OF
interest to scores Of other states where
the organization for directing the con-
struction of good roads is poor. In this
state, as in a great many others, there
is no provision for tn" construction
of good roads by the state. This mat
ter is entirely in the hands or the
county officials. In a territory as
sparsely settled as southwest Texas
still is, in spite Of its enormous inn
migration. good roads are particularly
necessary because the distances to be
Travelled are long. Impcrativ" necessity
has forced the counties to organize
among themselves to direct this work.
AS in all other states there are some
progressive counties which vote for
good roads bonds and special taxes
quite readily. Others refuse to do so.
Now the proposition Of each county
is usually to get good highway across
several counties in addition to pro-
viding its own little network of good
roads. Therefore, having voted bonds
the county officials of the fortunate
county takes up negotiations with tn"
neighb0ring county through which
good road is desired on very much
the same basis that one nation would
negotiate a treaty with another. The
obvious advantage of the good road
il question is usually sufficient argu-
ment to induce the backward county
to fall into line.
But the county having a good roads !
fund at its disposal has force as we'll
as diplomacy at it's command. Such !
a county, presuming that it has an OBJ
stinate neighbor to the north. can |.
construct all county highways up to
within two, three four or five miles
Of the county line and then leave an
intervening area of very bad roads.
This very seldom fails to force the
neighboring county to action.
Using these methods it is possible
to drive a highway straight as the
crow flies across several hundred
miles Of county where the per capita
cost of good roads is comparatively
high owing to the fact that southwest
Texas is far from being thickly popu-
lated. Such proposition is now being
handled between San Antonio and Cor
pus Christi. The bureau of good roads
at Washington was requested to send
an expert to furnish the county Of
fcials information about routes and
road material. / y Mcclure was sent
and has recently submitted his pre-
liminary report Commercial clubs
along the way and the San Antonio
chamber of commerce are now lend
ing their moral support to the pro-
position and thee is little doubt that $
the next few months will see under
way a good road going straight from
San Antonio to Corpus Christi through
what was only a few years ago the l
very tronghold of the cattle baron.
Undoubtedly no other means now at I
the command of those who realize the
Of good country roads
could accomplish these results. A cam
paign to get federal aid for good roads !
has been waged in a desultory man. ]
ner, and thus far fruitlessly. for many !
years. State aid for roads in sparsely
settled state always presents the diff
ficnlty that the money can be spent i
several hundreds of miles away from |
at least three-fourths of the popula- ;
ton.
It Is interesting to observe what ;
dynamo of activity one county with
a good roads fund at it's command be- {
comes. Some years ago Bazaar county
OF which San Antonio is the PRINCIPAL f
part, voted bond issue of 100000.
With this a network of good roads