The Harrison times., 1915-10-02
A Good Roads Day in Arkansas

EDITOR TINES:
The writer had been requested by
Iohn Hutton, the bachelor sage OF
Pinetop, Missouri, and U. 5. Star
Route man from that place to
Omaha, Arkansas, to attend the
celebration on Sept. IL of the COM
pletion of the good road from
Omaha to the State Line, with the
assurance of good dinner on the
ground" We wondered how an old
bachelor could presume to "assure"
a good dinner. But we took to the
suggestion. And Saturday morning
we boarded the Ford for Arkansas;
Mrs. B, Jessie Lee and myself, with
Hugh at the wheel-I never can
learn to pronounce that fellows
name, chauffeur. Reckon it
must be French.
Even before we reached the road
the subject of this article, but in the
vicinity of and tributary to same,
we ran onto some road that looked
good to us. And Mrs. B remarked,
"Old Arkansas is ahead yet" and
suggested we move back TO that
State. We were told that this par
ticular stretch of road is only one of
number of laterals designed,
When we struck the main line OF
that road we were all of one accord,
that if we do not soon have good
roads in Taney county we would be
for moving back to Arkansas, or at
least back to our forest home near
the Arkansas line.
Our first stop was at the farm
home of Ed Weaver, the road over
seer of that district, the man in
charge of the good work. why"
said Mrs. Weaver, this is good
roads day. They are finishing this
road from Omaha to the State line
to-day. And we are going to garden
rake it. The people down at town
are going to work from there and
we are going to begin at the State
line and meet them on the way"
And dinner on the ground. From
the run of her conversation one
would suppose that the women were
"in on it" and they were. But what
impressed me most was that the
town people and the country people
were lining up together on road
working. Ordinarily there is too
much enmity between the two
elements for such fellowship as that.
Well, there seemed nothing to do
but to get in the game, after first
running on down to town, where
we found the forces already mar
shaling, So we dumped Mrs. B and
Jessie Lee and got busy, | with a
rake and Hugh running chores. The
road looked good enough to ME as
it was. But if they wanted it hand
raked, all the better. And not a
man said it ought to be done some
other way.
| had known Ed Weaver of old, in
school; have known him ever since;
but never knew before this what he
was cut out for, which is evidently
for a road over-seer. He has we'll
laid plans, and works to them with
out friction. His men do what he
wants done and as he wants it done,
without stopping to parley why.
But he does not play the role OF
"boss" it's good morning, gentle
men," or this way boys" or
that's we'll done"
asked him how they made that
road-where the funds came from.
"Well,' he said, I'VE have some
county funds'-telling how much,
this is only one of the several roads
of our district; the people wanted
an automobile road out of this one,
and promised them that with their
assistance in the way of donation
labor would make them a good
one, and you see what we have
done" And he added that they
would expect to get onto other
roads in the same way later.
Country people, from either side Of
the State line were there, some Of
them with their teams. And, by the
way, it is not a partisan Arkansas
road. Having had the cooperation
of their neighbors Of Missouri, they
say they are going to extend the i'm
provement into Missouri a mile Just
to "show Missouri" In fact, the
grading of part Of this extension is
already done. Hope no one in
Taney county will object, on the
ground of our long-established uses
Of bad roads. Town people, busi-
ness men-merchants, banker, hotel
l. ..,o., xhnxa AL