The Cairo bulletin., 1910-04-12


the district through which the road
is proposed to be built show no in
terest in their roads and will not help
themselves. All these arguments, 1t
viii be seen, may be urged against
building any road at all, at any time.
The one statement that farmers VIII
not come TO Cairo even II road 5
built TO their doors, will, if granted,
stand as a permanent barrier to
building any road, and upsets all the
arguments in favor of roads To Cairo
that have been or can be advanced.
II stand to reason that the argument
can not be admitted, in face OF the
experience of other cities everywhere
and at all times. which proves that
very important factor in the build
ing up OF city is to build roads TO
it, making II easy Of approach from
all directions at all times.
But what may strike the casual
listener as the strongest point made
by the opponents to extension is
that the cross roads in the Cairo
Drainage District are OF infinitely
more Importance to Cairo as pros
pectlye business producers than 2
northward road would be, because
though these cross roads would run
vacant land, they would open
this land to settlement and cause II
to be cultivated Mr., Hastings, in his
statement before the Board yester-
day said, of the 1000 acres In the
Cairo Drainage District 1000 acres
was idle land. though some of the
finest land in the county. Its settle
ment and thorough cultivation would,
in his opinion, produce a million dol
lars Of wealth annually, "all Of which
would be spent in Cairo; and the
reason why it was idle land was that
it was naccessible-there were no
roads by which 1t could be reached.
Cairo ought to see that this land,
which was close to its doors, was de-
veloped first. and its road tax money
ought to 20 toward building these
cross roads He believed the land
would be quickly settled by thrifty
farmers if these roads were built.
The point seems wel1 taken at first
glance, and 1t presents unquestion-
ably the only proper course to pursue.
IL we grant that the building of a
northward road will not induce travel
to Cairo. This, however, can not be
admitted. The experience of other
communities disproves it; steam ra1l-
roads and electric railroads develop
travel to cities, and good wagon
roads do likewise-always and every
where. With this conceded, 1t is
clear that the thing of first import
anoe to Cairo as a business getter Is
a road to sections OF the county which
are already settled, leaving the roads
to or through idle lands to come
later.
1t transpires also that nearly all
OF the 1000 acres of idle land referred
to by Mr. Hastings belongs to men
who are holding 1t Tor speculative
the larger part OF
il to the Cairo Trust Property Co.
that there is much wealth
lied up in this land, which would be
by building the cross roads
In question, one would think that the
owners of this land would be enter
prising enough, as matter OF sell
interest, to build the roads without
delay. These roads ought to be
built, to be sure, and If the present
OF future owners or the land will
not build them, the people Of Cairo
may be willing later on to do it for
them, In consideration of the busi-
ness that may be developed In the
meantime The Bulletin can not but
hold to the opinion announced some
time ago, that the thing Of first i'm
portance to the people OF Cairo is a
road to sections of the county al
ready settled. 1t Is safe to say that
the interurban railroad would not
have been built, anu the people Of
Cairo would not have been SO anxious
that 1t should be built, had it been
to run it into an unsettled
portion Of the county and STOP in
stead OF going to Mound City, Mounds
and Villa Ridge, because, in the for
mer case it would have been Of small
value, either to the builders or to-
the communities touched. The same
holds good in building
wagon roads at the expense OF &
community-they should go some
where.
The question in nut shell seems
to be whether the money Of Cairo
tax payers shall be expended in build
ing a sort of trunk line road to tap
the settled portions of the county, or
whether 1t shall be expended in build
ing roads through idle land which Is
being held for speculative purposes
by few wealthy citizens of Cairo.
GO SLOW, BROTHER.