Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-05-04
SUBSCRIPTIONS
GOOD ROADS AND FAvORITISM

GOOD ROADS AND FAVORITISM
The Springfield Reporter and this
paper agree that good roads are
needed, but cannot agree upon road
policies and road men, Since the
Springfield contemporary fails to an
swer most of this papers questions
and does not find space for copying
it's utterances, and finally acknow-
Lodging that the woman-editor OF that
most excellent contemporary has a
right to the last word, this is notice
that the subject will not be served to
our readers hereafter. At least for
the immediate future. And at the
earnest solicita tons of the Spring
field contemporary the writer will ere
long traverse some of Windsor
county roads.
Acknowledging that Mr.. Bates can
build roads, but failing absolutely to
convey the fact to it's readers that
the Derby Line roads were built by
Mr.. Bates before he was State High
way Commissioner is only a contin-
uance of the unfair methods used by
the Reporter and others, to predju-
dice the people against Mr.. Bates.
Because Mr.. Bates is a good road
builder and was able to align public
sentiment behind him for good roads
in his town and county, before he ever
became state road man, is now used
by his enemies against him. A
splendid testimony to the honesty
and fairness of the Springfield op-
position to Mr.. Bates. Does the
Springfield contemporary feel that it
is just to charge the good roads in
Derby, under the circumstances given
above, to the fanciful sectional fav-
Oritism of Mr.. Bates, and claim that
the same thing has caused the poor
roads in Windsor county?
Has the Springfield paper ever con-
sidered the difference the attitude of
the public towards roads makes in a
few years time! Is it not true that
the towns of Orleans county have
more generally taken advantage of
state aid in the past decade than any
other county in Vermont? eve re-
fer to the law which gave town any
sum up to $1,000 of state money to
match given sum voted by the town
for permanent roadwork) Can the
Springfield contemporary point to any
Windsor county towns where the
hnc hoy I,1or ~ hi
pockets to the tune of $4,000 in adj
dition to large road taxes, for road
construction in their town? Such in
stances can be sighted in Orleans
county.
There are men in Orleans county
without sufficient income to pay an
income tax, who have paid from their
pocket to private fund for road con-
struction, larger sum than Spring
fields wealthiest citizen ever paid for
such purposes, SO we are told. When
public sentiment and a local pride,
combined in instances with private
aid, has brought about a better grade
of roads in one section of Vermont
than in another, it is cheap talk and
cheap politics to charge such results
to the favoritism of so able and so
honest man as Stoddard B. Gates.
Derby and Orleans cunty has some
good roads because public sentiment
long ago demanded good roads, pro-
vided the money for building them and
has the men who know how to build
and maintain them. If other sections
of the state do not have good roads
it is not because Orleans county has
them, but because those sections Of
the state did not, few years back
stand soidly for good roads and pro-
vide the wherewithal to good road
men for building and maintaining
them.
The spirit which has prompted the
Newport Chamber of Commerce to
give free banquet to the road men
of Orleans county each year for some
10 years is the spirit which has made
good roads. On these occasions good
roads were talked and planned by lay
men as well as road builders, both from
nome and from abroad. It is silly
and ridiculous to charge our good
roads to the misplacing of state high
way funds by anyone, to charge favor
itisn1. The simple fact remains that
Orleans county has road builders, has
road material, has voted real road
taxes, has backed its road program
with spirit of helpfulness and CO.
operation, and when necessary some
Of our people have gone into their
pockets for more money with which
to make roads.
What Windsor county needs is to
get some of the bile out of it's system.
furnish it's road builders with suffi-
eient money, back them with spirit
OF helpfulness, set the right men to
work and stop blanlbing outsiders for