The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-01-24
For Better Roads

County Court is considering change1n
its method for working the roads. This
is matter of vItalimportance to every
citizen of the county, be he farmer,
merchant or professional man.
AT the moment this is written, the
writer, being farmer. is almost com
pletels cut off from access to Somer-
vile except by a slow. laborious journey
OF a couple of hours on horseback or by
wagon. Indeed, in one section Of the
rosd near my home, seven wagons were
stuck in tne same mudhole one day last
week. Il is a journey Rhat ordinarily
takes 20 or 80 minutes by automobile
Now, the writer won't ask you for
space 10 discuss the road question at
great length. but he does des ire to pre-
seut few general observations becauee
your readers help form the public senti-
mint of the community aud if the inter.
est of the county's citizens can be
aroused in favor of better roads the
County Court can be made to improve
them, The court is a representative
body and should be responsive to the
wishes of the community.
So that We may see the Importance of
good roads in the larger sense OF their
| ralaf;on fo tho xualfara 90 tha u,holo
world, let me state fe v obvious facts
Sure and quick communication is one
OF the developments of our age London
and Paris are now only $50 hours distant
from Somerville-express trains carry
the traveller from Memphis to Chicago
in nights journey mail is carried by
aitshlp from New York to Philadelphia
IA two or tbree hours Germany stood
off the world for four years because Of
her magnificent system of comnunica
tions-Joffre saved civilization at the
first Marne by reason of Frances high
ways and Paris taxicabs.
A correlated system of communication
by steamship, aeroplane, railroad and
highway is essential to modern life
necessary to us here in Fayette county
so that England and New England may
buy our cotton, st. Louis and Louisville
our live stock and the daily newspapers
] can reach our front gate every day of
the year. The basis of this complicated
system of communications, the feedsr
of it, is the country highway. Other
counties, realizing these facts, are link
ing up their farms with city and rail-
head oy an improved network of high.
ways.
Shall we continue with our present
rotten roads in the Tagging progress OF
backward age? Our bad roads are not
only drawback to business aad social
activity but a menace to life itself. /,
has happened recently that doctors have
been unable to visit the sick until too
late. The farmer cannot get his pro-
ducts to market and the merchant loses
trade because customers cannot reach
his door.
Shall we stand for this forever? l
think not. The County Court builds
our roads and the Court must have
some faint idea that people are growl-
ing because a committee of the Court
is now considering the matter and will
report at special meeting Of the court
on Feb. 4. 1t should be the duty of
every business man, doctor, farmer, in
fact every cIuzen who wants better
roads. to let tue court ugderotand in un-
mistakable language that We MUST |
have better roads. 1t will probably be
necessary to spend more money than
We have been spending but we won't /
Kick at that If 1t gets results,
Now. | have no particular remedy to
propose 10 thsletter but would like to
say one or two things more before clos
ing.
The faults in our road methods in the
past have been these. We have tried
to get-by at too small cost, to get
something for nothing. which is against
law of nature. Our roads are neith-
er well shaped nor we'll drained. 1t
may be argued that as long as dirt aud
water mix to make mud any system of
dirt roads will get bad in rainy wealth
er. This is true only in limited sense.
II road il properly made and has
drainage falling water cannot remain on
the surface long enough to cause more
than temporary inconvenience to traf-
fic.
Our road work has been done by con-
tractors or overseers who. for the most
part, are ignorant of the fundamental
principles of road building. There is
not nov nor has there ever been any
competent authority at the headof our
roads with enough engineering ability
so estsblish grades and construct an en-
during system Of highways.
Fs;s sfrx,a far all of t,a IN wake mn and