The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-04-09
A Road Letter from The Shade.
Walnut Shade, April S, l9l4.

WaInul Ohaue, HpHl o, ISIf.
Editor Republican; As I am So
years old and have never written an
article for publication in those few
years, J. will try to write few lines
in reply to Mr.. Mckinley Wood on
Good Roads. I will say that l would
be greatly pleased to see the young
men take hold, as most OF the young
men in the west part Of the county
don't seem 10 be interested much in
good roads. Building good roads in
fancy means something when you put
the real thing in operation, and I want
to say right here that we have men
in our neighborhood who have talked
good roads for 20 years and have never
benefited the roads one iota. Road
talk is as cheap as political talk, but to
do the real thing means practical ex-
perience and money Of an unlimited
amount, and without these two ingre-
dients it will always be good roads talk
and bad roads, for am able to tell the
people Of Taney county that nothing
but hard labor under experienced man
agement will ever make any good
roads in this or any other county.
The proper thing for discussion be-
fore the people is how to raise the
funds to build and maintain these roads,
and how to build them.
l have one suggestion to make in
regard to raising the money, or part
Of it at least, and this suggestion is
this: First, to cut out the poll tax
system entirely and have a direct tax,
and, second, TO run the current ex-
pense Of the county for about half Of
what we are paying and apply to the
road fund and favor the elimination Of
at least one hall Of the county officers
Of this state by legislation.
For instance, take the assessment
and collection OF our taxes. Did you
ever think how much machinery it
went through before it gets into the
county treasury
Mr.. Wood says: Now my young
friends, it seems as il it is impossible
for the men TO do anything toward the
improvement OF the roads, and ! be-
lieve that it has come time for US TO
put in our word in the matter OF better
roads. From the way things look at
present it seems there will be nothing
done toward road building until US
young folks take part. 1t looks any
how the old folks were depending on the
young folks TO start the improvement,
and feel assured that we can do it if
if we but try. 1t wont cost anything
but even if it did, We would be repaid
by seeing improvement take place. /"
l guess he is going to build an air
ship road. am serving my third term
as overseer OF my district and feel safe
in saying that no poll tax payer ever
got his receipt from me until he did
the full amount Of his tax in actual
labor, and what walking up and down
the road he did coming to work and
going home was on his own time.
And I will agree with Mr.. Wood in
regard to the roads being in bad shape
and they will be until we are relieved
by financial aid.
Maybe the the young folks could
teach the officials some common sense.
don't feel as though l could. II
thought l could ] would express it in
some other way. Some OF the officials
could make mistakes and be excusable,
as all business men make mistakes,
and it is all right to write about these
things, but the imortant things to write
about are, how and where are we going
to build these roads, what are we going
to build them Of, and where is the