The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-04-25

nal Plan To Improve the Roads and
Gives n Glimpse OF the Idea
May Run For President On ,h..
! Good Roads Scheme-some Mod.
ern History Reversed.
Bilkinsville, n. c.. Apr. %. 1912.
/ Correspondence OF The CaucagIan-En-
| terprise
/ In 1876 treaty ov commerce wuz
concluded between France an Eng
land. The English manufacturers
then ahead ov any In the world. an
still In the lead in some particular
lines, were not pleased with the
treaty. The English were far ahead
ov their French nabors In most lines.
But In the matter ov wines an Ger
tain kinds ov oils the French lead the
world at that time. The French far
mers an mechanics soon registered a
decided protest against their parlia-
ment. For the year the loans ov
france, virtually the taxes, or they
would be so designated now, amount
ed to about sixteen millions ov dol
lars an the people didn't see how
they could stand up under hit.
While the object ov awl this taxation
IL not given clearly in the old histories
available, hit wuZ probably due to
dog laws and good roads" nom
sense such az the people ov North
Carolina are burdened with in our
time. France believed in good roads
and, made EN-. But, az in some sec
lions Ov North Carolia today, a vast
sum wuz wasted each year on social
ed good road improvements which
cost entirely too much because cor
rupt politicians hev a long bony fin
ger in the pie, an because the
schemes are entirely impractical.
Hit IL very easy to use public money
in gradin' an buildin' macadam roads
which usually cost from three to
eight thousand dollars per mile, an
they really loow pretty-for a few
days-or until a few big rains fall,
an then the hard winds blow, an
where are your good roads? Ma
cadam roads are pretty. I'll admit;
an they look like they are substan-
tially-but they are not worth $500
per mile, though they cost many
times that amount az they are usual
ly built. For some years the writer
heZ mOdestly advocated a system ov
graded roads, which means some
thin. My plan IL to locate an grade
the roads just az they should be for
awl practical purposes, maxim them
wide enough for heavy travel near
large towns, for instance. After the
road liz graded, it will consist o
either red clay, gray or yellow clay.
Put up light, but substantial frame
work ov timber an finish hit with
rafters an sheeting an cover the
roof with the cheapest but most last
ing material available, such az good
metal roofing, which should be paint
ed an kept painted. Perhaps the
best roofing material for this purpose
would be slate; it would be expen-
sive, but would last for hundreds ov
years, for the road an timber would
be protected an the timbers would
last for hundreds ov years, so would
your road; an hit would always be
dry, smooth an firm. You could
haul FIVE or six heavy bales ov cotton
to town with two good mules an
there would be no mud, no extra
pullin' for your stock, even in JaRu
airy or February, the worst mouths
for bad roads. For automobiles,
light buggies, carriages, etc, you
could spin along at from six TO forty
miles per hour over such road.
umbrella on wet days. no protection
from hot sun, the roof bein' ample
protection. The road would be cool
in hot weather, for the sides are awl-
ways open. When / sprung this road
idea on an unsuspecting public some
laughed an others agreed that hit
had meat in it. | wuZ then Twin on
a small farm in Iredell, my native
county, and wuz about seventeen
years old. | simply had figured out
the plan an stood ready TO defend
hit. Sometimes l would scribble a
few lines for the local Newspaper, the
Statesville Landmark. What I'd
write anyways managed to get a
place in the paper for Mr.. ]. P. Cald-
we'll, that prince among newspaper
men, in some respects the best edi-
tor in North Carolina, durin' hiz bril-
liant life, would publish little pieces
I'd write; an, just to make me feel
good. he'd say hit wuz more or less
readable, for he called me lone" ov
hiz boys; an he had heart in hiz
body which would weigh at least 1 so
pounds, for he wuz nearly awl heart
an brain. Says he to me one day
when wuz in town and had dropped