The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-12-01
COMMON HIGHWAYS.

tnat " III
be Welcome---A Man
Who Has Done Good
Service.
Atlanta Constitution.
There is no question before
the American people OF more
importance and of more general
interest than that of the i'm
provement of the common
roads. State and county soci-
cites devoted to the furtherance
of this reform are very numer-
Gus, and in some few instances
the efforts of such societies have
resulted in better roads and a
general mending OF highways
in small localities. But, as a
rule, Their efforts have exhaust
ed themselves in talk because
there was no one with a plan
at once large enough and prac-
ticable enough to meet the re-
ouirements. One writer lml-
tating Horace Greeley's famous
dictum, "the way to resume IS
to resume" has said that the
way to get better roads is to
build better reads. This is all
very well, but there are dill
culties i'll the way. Building
good roads costs a great deal OF
money. Where is this money
to come from? Building good
roads requires skill. who is to
furnish this skill? The country
people have not the money to
spare, and would be indisposed
to spend it in road improve
ment, even though they had it.
Then again, country people not
only do not know how to build
good roads, but to, a large ex-
tent are unaware that the roads
are bad or could be improved.
These stumbling-blocks have
been in the way of the road i'm
provement societies, and have
rendered to hinder their efforts.
But they have not yet been dis
couraged, and are now seeking
by a union of all these societies
to form q national league for
good roads.
The person to take the init
ative in this movement was
General Roy Stone, of New
York. the author Of the national
highway commission bill, which
passed the Senate last summer,
but which was not reached in
the House. This bill created a
commission which should in
uuire into the condition Of the
roads in the country, their pres.
ent method of maintenance, and
the cost thereof, and to report
the same to Congress, together
with suggestions for plan OF
national aid in building high
ways, and the establishment of
schools for the education of
roadmakers.
The following is an interview
with General Stone on the sub
ject
"What has the discussion as
to road improvements thus fa1
settled ?"
In the current discussion OF
road matters some things may
be taken as settled, and among
them are these We hay" the
worst roads in the civilized
world; their condition is q
crushing tax on the whole peo
pie, a tax the more intolerable
in that it yields no revenue, no.
even supports a tax-gatherer
any adequate relief from this
tax involves the rebuilding OF
100000 miles of road, and al
expenditure of some thousands
OF millions of money; a wise
economy requires this rebuild
ing to be prompt, speedy an6
general; since this work is fol-
all time, equity requires that g
large share of its cost should
fall upon its future benetici
aries; this can only be done by
raising the money on very long
loans, and these loans must, in
common prudence and in jus.
tice to our successors, be made
at the lowest possible rates OF
interest.
"These conclusions point di.
rectly to another, which many
good citizens are slow to accept
viz: that national financing fol-