Bad Roads And Their Remedy

Correspomlenpe of the Adrián Tunes. Bavlng been over the western part o Ohio and snme ot the eastrrn part o Indiana dvring the last week, I hnv bten iorcibiy knpr(Md with th diflier ence betwten the higliways as coniparei with those in our state. For the mos Dart tte country la as level aa sontliert Michigan, unil the soil no better for x mails ualurally. lint even with the iin menso rainfall durrng the inontli of hYh ruary, I Me tennis coming tito the town wiih two ot tb ree boni of corn on the wagon, nul ui) trouble or nndue lábo for the two horses attarhed. The conse quencos are, business in Uwee states re ufives no check ou account of "bad roacu,' that Btnke tlie st reets of our MMtfgtii towns ilesorted and lnnilv. Michigan lxia-ts of hér enter priee, am in soine respecta il Is well, but the pooplt are at leafct twenty-live years behiml Olilo In the matter of lilghwayg. Tht oftiesand villajes have long ago learned that tliey calino t atl'orU to suffer the sttignation of tbeir business so iiiueh of the yenr 11 consequence of muddy rotuls They are alive tor busiaesg, and undei the laws of the state anv important road Diay be mude a "pikc" By h petition ot a few frecholdcrs, tin; eoutity eoiniuiseloucr vit -w the route, and f, in their jutlnueut it is desirable, they at trttoe jrradu aii.l gravel or stoue the road, as far as necessary In their own counly, and MtH th oost in easy Installments 011 the strip cit country lying alon tilt: road. for two miles wlde on each eWe. All brkljres are built by the county ut larjre and t hi'i r L'r.ivel or ëtone "pike-" are Ueit in reair by Hie county when once built. A very Hffht hiyrhway tax is onlv n"cissiry, and where partlei are on Cioss-roads, or those not "pikes," tlie tax m:iy be worked out as in our state. Men in Michigan are lavish in the ne of inoiiey for team11, carriafts, hofwa, barns, and all the luxuries and comtorts of lile, except tlie road to drive on, and ri;lit there is shown the most shortsijrhtedTies-; pemlliottMrtM. It COili the tanuers of Michigan tor the wear and DicaUage of team, baruess aml vehiele. ind the business men of the cities and vill t-í3s for the loss of business, v. ry year, In consequeuce of bad roads, lliice or Ibtir times the cost of ''plklng" the principal thoroughfares. The farmer living in altnost any direction froin Adrián ïnn-t market bis wheat and all hls heavy produce in the si a-on of jood roads, if at all, and then he cannot oad with inuch more than one ton, because. of the mts and holes made durlng the bad roads, or because of the vi-dom (?) of the pathmaster, who lias iloued up patches along the road, nnd lumped the dirt in large heaps In the ;rack; whlle in Ühio, the farmer who ives on or near a nike ean, in the busy me, drive to tlie city, live to teD miles, in the eveninif for i lew necessaries lie ouy want, and back, with comfort and safety, and when the busy season is over ie can market his graln in half the time i ik 1 wiili lult tlie expense we eau do it. There Menu to be iiich a fear of doiajc r payinjj somethiDg for the public benefit - a foolmh, blimï felfishness exktlng imong the people that they lose siftht of lic sensible fact that when a man benetit the public hu henetits himself, and if ill men art equally taxed the burdeu is not heavy. There never was a more unut law or one more ruinous to the pubie at lirsre than our Michigan law makng our public, higliways and bridges n hurden n[on the townships in which they me situated. Why not sulxüvlde still itier, and make the farm through whlch the creek or rivor runs, buili and malaala the bridges. Vh would care to own i rtver firin then? 'Tis no less wrong to ibHge the towntklp throurh whieli tlie ici happens to run, to (mild all llio.se ixpensive bridec. The bridges and bighways are public iroiicrty, for ])ublic use, not only for one arm, or one township, but for everyjody. Why not as well ay that the ownshlp which has the court hou-e, the all, or the county poor-farni in it shall mild those buildings, and inalntain bemf They are no more lor the use of the county at large than are the hifihways and br1djf.ee. Why not as well hh;re the property-owners of the ward n which one or tivo ot the bridges are )udt to stand the entire expense ol tllOM bridges, instead of the wbole city f I hope the time is ncar when Michigan vill feel Mhanicd of these old laws shc las so long oatCTpwn and for justice ind bumanily's sake come up to the staiilard of civiliz ition. Makeall these pubie licnclits a public expense; not only icr schools, nnn I bOUaea, etc, hut her ind bridges ns well. Jj'i ihcre go ip a ücmand for a change of tlmse Ikws o our icL'islatu.e. and let it Í0 from city