The Marshall republican., 1912-03-29
The Roads We Travel

Farmers, consider the city man
how he spins around the square
in his "auto-go and does-go" he
] sows not, neither does he reap,
arc you as oood as they3 You
think you are. Why can you lot
spin through the beautiful valley
In your rubbertired buggiesP Be-
cause you would ri in ahole In
the culvert, or get stuck In a mud
hole fup to your neck. Who's
fault In it9 Yours only, and not
the city man. Consider We the city
man how he gathers each week
to a place OF meeting and attends
to matters concerning the good Of
! the ci,y In which he lives. Do you
not know this IL a selfish world
In which you live, have you not
yet realized that no one knoweth
what you want until you ask7 Also
things OF importance cannot be
commanded without some effort
put forth on your part, In the
cause you r striving for. Do
you not want better roajsl Ask
md 81 shall be given unto you,
strike and the road will BE- open
ed unto you. II you have no faith
In your own power, let II be unit
ed with the other mans power,
get together, work together AMI
stay together, Is my motto. In
this matter, thea do you not think
We would have better roads.
Do not be one OF the men who
will cay, "Nothing a be done
there Is rot enough money In the
treasury to accomplish more.
That man Is a lost number, he will
awaken some day to find himself
In n desert land, forsaken by all
his friends, only because he look
cd on the dark side, and stopped
there, thinking II was good
enough for him. and never had
energy enough TO turn to the
brighter side. II tbs country
roads are good enough far yssi.
you surely are an inmate OF the
poor house., and have no use for
them, or you are NJ easy going
kind OF acreature, like unto the
terrsptn, not caring a "gosh-dang'
where you travel or how slow. Let
~ awaken to time that Is fast
rolling on, do not be SOW to Ut
yourself for the present age,that
for energy, which long has been
lost, and that which good fortune
long has wished to call her well
coined guest.
II you have anything TO say In
your behalf, do not curse the coun
ty officials, but say It loud enough
that people hearing will take
notice II you think you know
why you have to travel such mis-
cradle roads, let it be known.
Here is my idea why we haven't
got better roads. I may be wrong
but ] will hold unto that which I
think Ii right until some man can
convince me ] am wrong, and II
l make mistake and say some-
thing wrong, let those who
are offended, be consoled by the
thought that I, like themselves,
am ahuman and have a right to
make mistakes as well as they for
to err Is human. In the first place
nine times out OF ten, the man who
Is the road overseer Is one who Is
too lazy to work at home, he
wanta the Job because he can get
out and hear all the gossip, find
out everybody elses business but
his own, get an occasional dram,
and live happy on a small salary,
which the county deems fit for
his labor. / think the day has
come when our road overseers
should be live men Put their sal
airy at two thirds OF what the
sheriff's salary is, and / think we
could have better men for this Job.
I have found this to be my ex-
perience, for Ihave not worked
the roads for two years, all be-
cause the "road bossn did not call
on me, and there are lots OF men
the same way. l offered to work
but he never came, whose fault
was It? ! also think the roads are
too wide In some places, the ex-
ira land Ia doing no one any
good, and costs the county many
dollars to keep up. But the coun-
ty has not spent the money for
the roads in this district, for the
roada have not been touched for
J from two to- five yeara. Bro.