Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1918-02-21
GUMPTION, ~~
Which is plain Common Sense, in United States
language without Educational Furbelows.
I, BIN l.. Il. IIOVERNIALE.
Good Roads Again.

EB sssS q ed Sd A
Good Roads Again.
In his letter in last weeks is
sue of the the Courier, my good
friend Slab" takes a surprising
position on the road question.
Admitting the fact that good
roads are of incalculable value to
a county, he then proceeds on the
theory that wo can't build them
because we haven't the money to
pay for them as we build them.
BY that token we we would be in
the same condition of unreadi-
ness when the sun shall have ex-
hausted its energy and the scroll
of the armament crumples in the
end of time. The United States
didn't have the money to build
the Panama canal-but it built it.
None of the great corporations
that have criss-crossed the con-
tinent with the life-giving AFTER
les of domestic commerce had
money to build the railroads, but
the built them.
Slab says: Its as much i'm
possible for the mountain coun-
ties to cope with the blue grass
section of our state as it is for
the country to keep up with the
city STYLE" Brother Slab. your
metaphor is unfortunate. The
mountains can cope with and out
strip the blue grass, and it is not
only possible, but practicable to
have city style and city conven-
fences in the mountains, and the
nearest route to them is the good
roads route. Why, Bro. Slab, it
is possible for the farmer now to
install hot water heating system
with its healthful bath room; to
light his house, barn and out
buildings with his own electric
storage plant, and have all the
city conveniences. for the price
is within the reach of any good
farmer. The trouble, my dear
Brother, is that we are bound by
age-old traditions. Our ances-
tore hlilded hapseSas- inconven-
lest as it was possibla to make
them, and we still pattern after
them; they did not attempt to
make the home a place that gave
each individual member the idea
that it was designed with the
sole object of centering the love
of the entire family about 1t; and
we still stick to tradition. Look
up. Slab, and forward! We can
have good roads and modern
conveniences of life if we will let
go of the hard, dark past and let
our vision rest on the Towering
beauties of of the ever expand
ing future.
Switzerland, the most rugged
country on earth with the freest
poorest people, has the best roads
in the world and the lowest tax.
es. Miles upon miles of roads
are hewn in the solid rock and
every road is an automobile road.
They didn't have the money to
build roads-but they built them.
When they bonded themselves tc
build roads did they leave a mort
gage for their children to pay?
Not so that you can notice it.
At the beginning of the war and
for many years before, Switzer
land was the Mecca Of all world
travellers, and her good roads
have made her people prosperous.
So long as we believe that we
must be chained to primitive con
ditions and deprived Of the con
veniences that are a necessity t
modern life by bad roads just 81
long will we struggle along il
the grind that offers neither hope
to us nor emancipation to oul
children.
y y
1t is academic to now discuss
whether what was good enough
for my father is good enough 10
me, but | know that what is goo,
enough for me is NOT goo,
enough for my children, If W
struggle on through narrowing
conditions we owe it to our child
ven that we give them a bette
chance. With the light WEI hav