The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-03-27
How Grave Has Been the Neg
IeCt of the Public Roads
of the Country.

WASHINGTON. March 27.-"Come
gentle spring! ethereal mildness!"
That Is how old James Thomson felt
about II something like 200 years ago,
and little later Reginald HebGr, fol-
lowing his cue, or venturIng among
the muses. on his own account, sang OF
the time when spring unlocks the
flowers to paint the laughing soil.
Which leads the American Highway
Association to point out that the
spring thawS and spring rains will
soon be hore to remind the people who
run about from place to place, and
particularly tho farmers who live out
In the country among the birds and
flowers, how grave has been the
neglect OF the public roads in the
largest part of this so-called highly
favored land" This neglect has been
almost criminal because the people
have sinned against the light, in that
they have obtained the advice and
counsel, necessary to the improvement
Of impossible conditions. readily avail
able for the asking. from state and
national road officials. Either they
have failed to ask for such advice and
counsel or they have disregarded 1t
when they have received II, and with
the result that at the happy spring
season, when the heavens are bright
overhead, the roads are sloppy under
foot, and the farmer and his family
find themselves isolated from their
neighbors, from the schools. from the
churches, from the market towns,
from everything that makes life worth
living. Yet men wonder why It Is that
there has been steady drift from
country to town. and why the young
folk, when their wings have grown a
bit, take fight from the delights OF
rural life to the crowded confusion of
narrow streets and artificial horizons.
The farmers income is small and
his taxes always seem large. He does
not see in the spring thaws any other
lesson than that Of inevitable dreari-
ness. He and his nelghbors often can
not pay for hard roads yet. He knows
that for large part OF the year a
well dragged earth road affords salts
factory means OF communication, and
so he waits patiently until the water
Boaks away somewhat and otherwise
lets thing drift. He could not make
greater mistake. He ought to know
that the preliminary essentials for
good road building for light country
travel are not expensive, and when
the spring brings its troubles in few
weeks he can utilize the conditions of
discomfort, II he will, for Tearing some
very important things about rational
rural road building.
Road Location.
IN the first place, he should consider
the very important feature of road lo-
cation. In some parts of the country,
roads were located years ago without
much respect to grades. AS result,
horses strain at their traces through
muddy bottoms, where nobody lives,
TO the tops of windy hills with their
journey. only half begun The re-Io-
cation Of parts of roads 80 that there
will be only easy grades and so that
places may be avoided where the
maintenance of good surface Is
troublesome Is not beyond the achieve
ment OF ordinary common sense.
In few weeks there will be no lack
Of evidence that the drainage Of roads
is of vital Importance in most parts of
the land. 1t will not be necessary to
employ the highest talent in engineer
ing to determine where better drain
age must be provided. When the frost
leaves the ground and the spring rains
soak the earth. the soggy places will
be nearly indicated to the dullest OBJ
servation. and will show whether or
not the road con be hest improved by
relocation, or by digging OF deeper
bitches, or by the drainage OF the con-
tiguous land. There is nothing mys-
terious about 1t, which tho farmer
cannot understand; the drainage Of
roads is not different in principle from
the drainage of land. The only reason
the farmer Is puzzled when road
drainage is suggested Is that in the
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