208 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



the roads; because better roads would shorten the time in 

 which the product of the cow and factory are ex^Dosed to un- 

 favorable conditions, and would lessen the cost of transporta- 

 tion; because a creamery or cheese factory cannot make the 

 highest grade product, unless the milk be delivered with 

 promptness and regularity and in the best possible condition- 

 none of these requirements can be maintained without better 

 roads; because the dairyman needs frequent communication 

 with the markets and the world at large. 



Because he needs a daily mail; because his family 

 should attend church on Sunday, lectures and entertainments 

 as occasions offer and enjpy visits to and from neighbors any 

 time during the year; because the dairyman pays a direct tax 

 upon his real and personal property for road purposes, and an 

 indirect tax, which is more burdensome, upon his patience and 

 resources on account of bad roads; because money and labor 

 are expended each year upon the highways sufficient to pro- 

 duce better roads, if such money and labor were used more in- 

 telligently, and systematically applied in the direction of per- 

 manent improvements; because much of the work done upon 

 the roads is done not for the benefit of the road, but for the 

 purpose of allowing this or that man to work out his taxes or 

 to gratify the notions of some ignorant, inexperienced path- 

 master who never saw a good road. 



Dairymen should insist on better roads, because to insist 

 is to urge with immovable firmness — to persist in demands. 

 When a number or class of men decide to insist on a policy 

 they first agree upon a plan of action and then by a united co- 

 operative effort seek to accomplish their purpose. We believe 

 this is what the dairymen should do, because it is only by such 

 combined effort that any advancement can be made in road 

 making. 



We have no faith that our roads can be improved by acts 

 of the legislature, nor that State or even county management 

 would help matters. Those w^ho use the roads and those 

 whose property or business would be enhanced in value by 

 road improvement are the ones w^ho should bear the expense 

 and take the responsibility of road building. Experinece has 

 demonstrated that when the people in certain localities havi.- 

 insisted on having the road tax paid in cash, have insisted on 



