The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-20
BET TER WORK FOR
COUNTRY ROADS

fan months following before the cold
blasts of an unusually cold and blast |
ing winter came along.
The Counties Cnmc In.
During last year thirty-six counties
hYaiied themselves or state aid in one
way and another under the act OF I
Legislature providing that whenever
4 county provides a good road fund |
tho state will double the amount !
either in cash or in convict labor. This !
plan proved 80 good that over sixty |
counties have now appealed TO the |
state or aid on these terms, and in |
cdentaily TO the Legislature to make |
e great big appropriation this year 10
carry on the good work OF making /
permanent highways throughout the |,
length and breadth OF the Old Do
fninion. The other forty counties have |
already received some aid and are ex-
pecting some more.
conviets are good road-makers and
road building is mighty healthful cx-
ercise for convicts. Convicts are, as
a rule. much better al making roads
than they are AT making shoes. and
the free air OF the roads is much more
conclusive OF health and reformation
aud general well being OF convicts
than IS the choky and smokey air OF
a great big shoe shop.
j
rural districts are arguing. and VIVA,
they say and when they do say. gen
orally goes. or ought 10.
and the Jail birds in all OF the
counties could keep in much more
healthy condition while working out
in the free air on the county roads
Than they could possibly keep shut UP
in the county and town prisons.
old virginia can have good roads
l. MI
had. and they are really beginning TO
want them, and they are not going
10 monkey much longer with the poll
ticians and shoemakers and other
takers about them. either. Such Is
the conclusion 1 have reached after
travelling around among the country
people in various ways during the iasl
twelve months. l say travelling III
various ways, because ! have tra'eieo
in many ways--by RAN py usss,
sometimes on foot, and right largely
by automobile.
Looking to Ono End.
Sneakin,, of travelling by automobile
reminds me that the automobile lad.
81 such II may be called. and the sood
roads sentiment go hand IN manu. vi
OUGHT 10. They are both aiming TO
tbe same end. The farmer and the
bauler of produce. who wants Gooa
n
MIC owner who wants good road 10
snecd over might work tremendously
.asether Why not? Q. well. the
o,ntrvman has been made to believe
,nat the automobile Is constant
,,,enace TO him; that their interests and
comforts are antagonist and furthet-
more, that the automobile in the coun-
try will scare every sensible morse
within a given section within given
time. entirely to death, and between
times break up buggies and wagons
ana ,,ill women and children. This
is all absurd.
Gentlemen Arc Gentlemen Everywhere.
a country horse is no more of fool
than a town horse. and town horses
have ceased to get frightened at auto
mobiles after the first sight OF them.
NV experience and observation lead
me to think that the driver OF the
country horse get to be more OF
fool when an automobile gets IN siGht
than does the horse. II gentleman
is tho driver of the automobile which
meets a country horse in the road. and
a gentleman or a lady is the driver OF
tho horse there VIII be no trouble.
The two VIII pass without any acct
dent or without friction. 1t will be
different If a hog" is In the automo-
bile and dog is in the buggy. II
would be lust as different II hogs and
dogs occupied opposing buggies. The
country people ought not to put a
black mark on the whole automobile
fraternity because they have some
times met "hogs" in automobiles. Have
they not equally as often met human
hogs in bugges? l have, and the
worst runaway accident ever saw or
ever heard OF was occasioned by a
human hog" in a buggy, who. by his
wild driving to pass long procession
Of vehicles going from country
church. created a panic among tho
animals that resulted in the loss of
lifo and not q little OF property.
have travelled in an automobile over
nearly half Of Virginia. and 1 have
so far had only one accident, and l