Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1915-08-27
The Rocky Road to Dublin.

y "a AAS POAACoS AS . Vic Iou 4OI I1C. 1AO
girl that knows how to patch the pants,
she's the lass for me. When the girl
mends the holes in your pants she
doesn't tear out the entire seat to fix
them. When she finds a hole in her
stocking she doesn't destroy the stock
Gng. She puts patches on the holes
and darns the stocking, and she's the
lass for me. Her common sense and
Industry teach her the right thing to do
is to preserve what is good until it has
served it's usefulness. For instance,
the hired maid washing and breaking
the dishes, does not preserve. This is
farm can abuse or destroy more than
tongue can tell, and the same is true of
hired help everywhere. The lesson to
preserve is poorly learned. Moreover
the people all over the county are giving
expression to their indignation of the
destruction of our county highways by
our public servants, who should learn
the lesson of the girl that patches the
pants and darns the stockings and pre-
serve what is good in our county roads
instead of destroying them.
The Roman roads today are kept
good by men who patrol the highway
and patch the notes.-the same is true
of our railroads, whopatrol their roads,
giving them constant attention and up
keep. There is no other way. About
60 rods west of Howard Center is a
gully across the road for more than two
years; it has broken more springs and
bruised more bones than would have
paid for patching it thousand times.
This is only one example out of thous-
and. A good county road is not an ele-
waited plowed highway two to six feet
deep. In places such road is menace
in summer and death trap in winter
when the roads are banked with snow.
Any man who plows up highway,
then smoothes it over and goes away
leaving it to care for itself, has less
gumption than milking machine, and
is dangerous person to have charge
of the public highway.
Any fool can destroy, but only wise
person can patch, preserve and build
around that which is worth preserving.
These highways have value in their
-solidity that should not be converted
into plowed field.
A small boy said to his dad, when
the road men have plowed and smooth
ed up the road, why don't they run
their engine or roller over it to pack it
down. His dad replied, "My son,
the engine is too big to get around and
besides it is busted" Then he asked
why don't they load up a manure
spreader or a broad tired wagon load
ed with dirt and run that over to pack
the dirt" His dad answered, My son,
ask the supreme court. And who is the
supreme court, daddy? ''The county en-
gineer and board Of supervisors.
The road to Riceville has become a
standing joke without speck Of humor
and the people are in hope something |
will happen that the trail blazed by
their great grandfather may return
to its original condition.
Farmers from the surrounding coun-
try are going to outside towns on ac-
count of road conditions, consequently |
our merchants and the entire business |
community have to suffer.
The auto men who paid in tax over
$500 have to paddle their way along |
the bitches and barb wire fences as
reward for their money. Any person
that has looked over the county papers
from time to time will not be surprised
to learn that the destruction for this
year is coming to an end. The bridge
fund is busted and the road fund will
be in bankruptcy right away.
The Commercial Club bought and
paid over $500 for Monroe Road Ma
chine after it was tried out and ap |
proved. This machine is in general use |
all over Illinois and in other states. It
will work on 80 per cent or more of our
roads today. 1t will shave the road on
both sides smooth and gradually build
it to the center, going 10 to Is miles q
day. or as far as the engine will travel.
It will do the work cheaply and salts
factorily and at saving Of SO per cent. |
over the present method which is every
thing but satisfactory. The or 10per
cent where the machine can't work |
should be put in shape by other means.
This machine has been offered to the !
county supervisors to use at their pleas
ure, but it lies dead near scrap pile
in Cresco. There is scarcely week
that some one doesn't enquire why this
machine is not in use. My answer is,
task the supreme court, / can't tell. -
have heard it said if the machine |