FAKMEES'' STATE CONGRESS. 405 



depth, or perhaps less. There is nothing that will so cheapen the building 

 and maintaining of roads as good drainage. After the roadbed is graded 

 and thoroughly drained, with the roadway not less than 32 feet with a 

 roadbed 24 feet, place thereon good gravel to the width of 10 feet, 5 feet 

 on either side of the center of road, and to a depth of 15 inches on the 

 center line and 8 inches on the out edges. Gravel, no doubt, will be the 

 most practicable material from which to construct roads in Indiana for 

 many years yet to come. I believe, however, the most economical road 

 to construct is a double-tracked road, with a roadbed 32 feet wide, 8 feet 

 of brick and 24 feet of earth road. I believe that, taking the cost for a 

 term of years, this manner of construction would be far cheaper and more 

 satisfactory. This would give a line for heavy traflBc in winter and also 

 a line for summer traffic and lighter travel. The first cost of this would 

 burden the present generation too heavj'^ under our present laws and 

 would in many cases work great hardship. The successful and equitable' 

 adjustment of the cost of road-making lias not yet been found. That the 

 whole burden of the cost of road improvements would come from the 

 land owners in the immediate vicinity of the improvement, or that the 

 whole burden should fall upon land owners only, I do not think will ever 

 solve the problem of good roads. 



A bill has been introduced in our national Congress appropriating 

 .$8,r00,000 annually for the next three years in aid of good roads; the 

 National Government gives to rivers and harbors some thirty millions 

 annually, it gives the cities great public buildings, costing $75,000 to 

 $100,( 00 each, making an investment in many cases that the Government 

 could not get a private corporation to finance under any circumstances. 

 But the congressman securing an appropriation in such district is in- 

 variably returned. Why not distribute these favors where they will do 

 the greatest good to the greatest number, and that is in the improvement 

 of our highways? It seems to me that tlie last Legislature in a small 

 way began this work in the right direction by setting aside 5 per cent, 

 of all money that comes into the hands of the township trustee for the 

 road fund of his township, to keep open and to keep in repair our rural 

 mail routes. The general Government. I think, could very appropriately 

 assist in this work along these lines, in view of what it has done and is 

 doing in the opening up of our rivers aud harbors. 



Some good road-building in our county is being done by the people, 

 by the method of donation or by assessing themselves. They build the 

 road very cheaply in this way. Some good roads have been built at a 

 cost of from $600 to $800 per mile. We do not need more laws so much 

 as we need more interest in good roads and a determination to have them. 

 Many complain, however, that the burden is heavy to the farmer who in- 

 tends to make his permanent home on the improvement he donates, be- 

 cause of the fact that his lands are afterwards listed higher for taxation 

 and the increased burden he has assumed is made permanent. And, in 

 turn, it has not been shared by his less progressive neighbors. 



