Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-11
AGITATINC FOR GOOD ROADS
Mass Meeting Held by Delegates to the l..
A. W. Assembly.
LEAGUE POLITICS At FEVER HEAT
Louisville ana Toledo Working Hard
for the Next Annual Mcct-Rcn1
business of the Session Not
Yet Commenced.

| the national convention Of the League oi
American Wheelmen today to the utter ex.
clusion Of everything else As a consequence
the experimental good roads meeting was
! only moderate success in point of attend.
ancc. although the mental pabulum served
to those who attended was of a high order
Mayor Hooper was in consequence the vic
tim of an unintentional affront upon the
part of the delegates, as his honor had
been invited to make a speech and was
| there at the appointed time with a nice
| little address of welcome which was never
| spoken because there was no one present
to hear him save few newspaper men
The mayor waited awhile and then went
| away to attend to municipal affairs. An
apology was made to him later in the day
and full official forgiveness accorded
After the mayors departure another eff
fort was made to get the delegates together
which, after two hours hard work, was
successful. President Wilison called the
meeting to order. He said 1t was the first
time good roads meeting was ever given
by the league and he asserted that the prop
osition to set aside one day annually for
the discussion of good roads was one of
the best moves ever made by the league.
He regretted however, that the attendance
was not better. He thought the attendants
on the assemblage should feel bound to at
tend this good roads convention and give
1t their entire attention. As the highways
committee and not the league proper was
in charge of the affair he resigned the
chair to the chairman Of the committee,
Isaac b. Potter of New York. the author
of the good roads day" amendment.
Mr.. Potter was greeted with applause,
and after it had subsided he addressed the
meeting briefly. New York, he said, had
twenty votes and numerous proxies
and intended to cast them for the city
which makes the best showngs at this
session. Continuing, he said: "The attend
ance is not as great as 1t should be, but
from my own experience, l know 1t is
twice as great as was that at the good
roads congress called by the United States
government and which was more widely
advertised than was this convention. The
delegates, however. represent 10000 wheel
men, and what transpires here will be more
far reaching in its effects than was the
action of the good roads convention referred
to-"
He then read letters of regret from Gov
ernor Levi p. Morton of New York, Mayor
Jewett of Buffalo, the mayor Of Albany. the
mayor Of Newark Mayor Taggart of In
dianapolis, Mayor Swift of Chicago. Mayor
Pratt of Minneapolis Governor Matthews of
Indiana and Mr.. James r. Dunno. ex-presi
dent of the League of American Wheelmen
WORK OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT.
Mr. Potter then introduced Mayor William
M. Kennedy Of Allegheny City. Pa, one of
the most prominent advocates of good roads
in the country and during whose admin
stration Allegheny City has changed from
an Ill paved, i'll kept city to one of the finest
in the country. Mayor Kennedy spoke of
what had been done in the way of improved
streets and roads in and around Allegheny
City and of the many direct and indirect
benefits. 80 .,
Following Mayor Kennedy Henry w. Will
liams, chairman Of the legislative commit
tee of the Maryland Good Roads league
was introduced He said: "If told you of
the work we had done. 1t would take but
a short time, but IL l tell you of what we
have to do, l am afraid we would never
of the birth of the Good Roads league Of
Maryland and the appointment of a legis-
lative committee, Of which he was made
chairman. 1--WE did considerable work." he
said, throughout the state, and the result
l consider both good and bad Through our
work we reused up the opposition of the
politicians, and they have been against us
wherever possible, but the agitation has at
length compelled these same politicians and
county commissioners to make slight con-
cesoions to public opinion, and we have the
pleasure OF seeing a slight Improvement in
the general road system of the state. We
have now prepared bill which we expect
to get before the legislature for the appoint
ment Of a permanent road committee, to
oversee In general the road improvements
throughout the state. An expert engineer
is to be made a member of the commission
and his knowledge is to be put at the dis
posa of the county road commissioners.
We expect a bright future for the move
ment in Maryland"
d. p. Miller, chairman of the board of
commissioners of Allegheny county, deiv-
cred a short address, telling of the work
accomplished by his commission in western
Maryland. He approves of good roads, and
said that IL the farmers were enlightened
as to the benefits to be derived from i'm
proved highways all opposition that now
exists would be wiped away.
Both President Willlson and Mr.. Sterling
Elliott delivered brief addresses and put
themselves firmly on the good roads plank.
The principal speaker at the afternoon
session was General Keystone of the United
States Bureau of Road Inquiry who said. in
part: ''The wheelmen should help to encour-
age the farmers who are in hard luck by join
ing them in securing coed roaus. Make Tho
farmers see that good roads will make The
city people want to live in the country and
will make them live there. The government
can and will do much" he saia. when we
have a national highway commission. The
commission can, by visits to different parts
of states, gain great influence IN the road
building line.
State aid to local effort is doing good work
No state is too poor TO help localities that
will show an effort to all themselves. The
wheelmen can co-opsra;e with The govern
ment by having convcts work on uuarries
to crush the stone."
The other speakers were T. g. Harrison,
secretary of the New Jersey Road commits
sion; Hon. George 4. Perkins, chairman Of
the Massachusetts State Highway commits
sion; Edward II. Bacon of Louisville, KY; G.
Richmond Parons OF Providence, II. l.. chair
man of the Rhode Island division committee
on highways Percy II. Richardson of Maine;
A. Cressy Morrison, n st vice president of
the League OF American Wheelmea and Con-
sui ]. b. Potter, who iilus'ra:ed his lect, re
by stereopticon views Of good foreign and bad
domestic roads.
BANQUET TO THE VISITORS.
The days exercises closed with a banquet
tonight at the home of the Maryland BIZ
cycle club, at which almost 200 delegates
and other guests We're present. The deco
rations and menu were of the best and
speeches were made in response to the fol-
lowing toasts President A. c. Wilson,
"Greeting;" +. G. Latrobe. my Mary
land and Her Wheelmen;' Mayor Hooper,
MY Cycling Constituents" General Nelson
A. Miles, Cycling in the Army" Hon. John
Cowen, Wheels; Political, Railroad, Cycle
and otherwise" General Roy Stone, "Pa-
ternalism in Cycling and in Governments"
NJ b. Bowden of Louisville, "In
Old Kaintuek;" Mr. Isaac B. Potter of
Nav York "HOW tn Make the Wheels Cn