Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1896 — GOOD ROADS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GOOD ROADS

A Good Roads Leeson. One of the strongest arguments ten good roads is furnished by the recent experience of the town ,'of Cone wan go, Cattaraugus County, New York. The town elections there this spring had to be postponed until May 14 on account of the utterly impassable roads. The town clerk was unable to. get to the polling place at the other end of the town with the ballots, and voters were mired in every direction.—Buffalo (N. Y.) Times.

Ballots as Ballast. Properly placed ballots will do much toward making the roads good. “Where there’s a will there’s a way," and the first thing to be done is to place those in charge of road malting who are in sympathy with the work and gc about it intelligently. This impression is growing among wheelmen, and the .recent victories achieved in the courts and in the State Legislatures are unmistakable proof of their power when united in a ;just' cause. Thorough organization on the part of the wheelmen is still the hope and strength of the good roads movement. A recent number of the Medina (Pa.) American says that the bicyclers of Montgomery County will likely play a leading role in local politics this year. They are out for good roads, and if they don’t get them, they will know the .reason why. It is estimated that there are on an average 25 bicyclers or good roads-people in each of the 111) district.'; of the county. These will be organized in the most, thorough manner. The chief duty of this, good roads league will be to hunt the scalps of legislative candidates who still Cling to the old-fogy notions about road building. It is claimed that 25 earpest workers in each voting district will wield a powerful influence at the primaries,—What—these , bicyclers want are five members of the Legislature who will support a good road law in the next session. £he good l roads people have issued a campaign button, and it has caught this town and other towns completely.

Ont oFfheßut. T Good roads are best for man and beast. Fix the. road and throw away the whip. I‘ut imt word for broad tires When 'j*bu get a chance. Water is a good thing, but too much jof it will spoil a road. Do all the intelligent Work you can for the betterment of the roads. St. Louis has a new and able publication. the. Good Roads Advocate, which will devote itself to the work of Improving streets and highways. The Good Roads convention and Bicycle ■ Meet to Convene in Galveston. Tex., June 9 to 13, inclusive, will attract 20.000 visitors, it is thought. Over 2.000 bicycles will parade. The cycle path is a- pro test against bad roads, not a desire, of the wheelmen. Give them good roads and they would not ask for a path. France has 130.000 miles of splendid roads. I have ridden all over that country and there is no cycle path. It costs Franca $18,000,000,000 a year to keep those roads in good repair. The assessed valuation of personal real estate in the State of New York is $5,000,000,000, yet there is no State appropriation for the maintenance and making of roads. —lsaac B. Potter.