The record-union., 1896-03-18
A MEETING THAT SHOULD BE
LARGE.


Monday evening in this city to hear
from the State Bureau of Highways on
the good road question. The Capital
City Wheelmen invited the bureau
membership to address the club on the
subject, and the bureau accepted The
clubroom, however, is too small to ac-
commodate such an audience as should
assemble. Accordingly, the young men,
with commendable public spirit, have
gone to the expense of renting large
public hall in the center of the city,
and of making all the necessary ar
rangements for the meeting.
For all which the wheelmen are de-
serving of thanks. But that is not what
they ask They do want, however,
they say, a large audience of represent
ative men, especially of business men
and property owners. The bureau mem
bers have just completed their first
years visitation of every county in the
State. They have driven over thou
sands Of miles of California roads.
They have held upwards of sixty pub
lie meetings. They have counseled with
ffty-seven Boards of Supervisors. They
have examined over a score of sources
of supply of good road metal. They, in
conjunction with the Governor and the
State Prison Directory, have nearly
completed the State trap rock crushing
plant at Folsom, and will in few days
be ready to furnish material at a figure
vastly less than it has cost the people
heretofore.
Now, it will be very profitable to
hear these gentlemen relate what they
have discovered; what is the temper of
the people regarding improved and eco
nomic transportation methods; what is
being done in other counties, and what
Sacramento County ought to do to keep
up with the procession. They must now
be prepared to set out with perfect
clearness the living interest the busi-
ness man and the property owner of the
city has in good roads in the county
and to disabuse the public mind of
good many preconeeptions that are er-
roneous.
This meeting therefore, ought to be
very instructive one; one that will
prove of value to every thoughtful man.
But if it is said that the meeting is
called by lot of bicyclists, the re-
sponse is, What of it?" These bicy-
clists, who represent some 10000 peo-
PIE of their order are the more entitled
to credit that they have called such a
meeting for Sacramento. since those
officials who should have done so have
failed to recognize the bureau by in
viting that body to present the States
case regarding California road sys-
TENS.
The bureau, we believe, held its for
NAL meeting with the Supervisors some
months ago, but no public assembly was
arranged, and could not be, except
taken hold of on the outside, as was
done at Stockton, San Francisco and
other places. However, the wheelmen
are to be encouraged in their effort to
reawaken interest in the road ques-
ton. Their interest may be a selfish
one, purely so, but then it is a noble
selfishness, and moves in the direction
of economy, comfort, lessened taxation,
internal improvement, agricultural and
business prosperity and wise admin
istration of public affairs.
Let our people, therefore, second the
very proper action of the wheelmen
and attend the meeting in large num-
bers. It is always profitable to hear
from a State commission what it finds
as the result of official research, and
what it proposes as the result of it's in
quiry and observation. Sacramento
enjoys exceptional advantages by rea-
son of the location of the State rock
crushing plant in this county It ena-
bles US to avail Of economies that no
other county can so well embrace. We
ought, therefore, to be wide awake to
the home interest and to the fact that
failure to improve such opportunity,
when distant counties, under less ad-
vantageous conditions, are availing Of
the new plant, will reflect injuriously
upon the county and its people