The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-26
| REFORM BY BICYCLE.
Wheel q Splendid Factor in
Developing Citizenship.
What Once Seemed . Piaythfng Is
notwithstanding Matters In Several
States and All OF the Ctties.

Il seems q trife strange that some OF
the fellows who are always writing
shsu' rsIorTn have thus far paid so little
attention to the most powerful agency
which - improving American citizen
ship.
/ am speaking. OF course. of the bicycle
In most Of the cities OF the Union and
IN al the great cities. the bicycle vote
has become thing TO be reckened with.
In New York 1t has bowed out the gram
tie ring completely. Time was when a
residence block couldn't be paved with
asphalt. even IF the property owners
were agreed on footing the bill. The
ring that sold granite blocks in the city
was too powerful
In those days-and We saw the last OF
them less than three years ago-Fffth
avenue was entirely repayed With granite,
which seems ludicrous enough. and the
only new smooth psvesnents laid were
upon a few cross streets leading 10 the
principal hospitals. so that the ambul-
ances might have easier going. and upon
some of the worst slum streets down
town. Upon both of these steps the
board OF health insisted.
Everybody knows what the bicycle Is
doing for the good roads problem. OF
course the farmers have all along been
the persons most interested in improving
the country roads. and 1t seems a little
strange that they left the work to the
wheelmen so tong. But similar thing
happened in photography. The profess
sioral ahot9g, aphers. working for their
liyeiihoods. haven't developed their own
business half 50 rapidly In some d.rec-
tons as the amateurs. working for fun.
Here's where the good citizenship comes
in. The bicyclists and the good roads
prophets are hand In glove. Ia many of
the states the l.. A. w. consuls even
frcwn upon the construction OF separate
cycle paths. partly hesitating 10 divert
so much money from the common roads.
partly fearing least the construction Of
special paths may result in abridging the
privileges of the wheel on the thorough
fares This fear Is probably ill-founded.
Local authorities have always exercised
the right TO regulate and classify vehicles
for the good OF all classes. without i'm
pugning their rights where the classif-
cation ceases. Special speedways are In
many cities constructed for trotting
horses, but the man In the suiky uses
the common roads in going and returning
from his speedway: and so does the
equestrian. for whom special paths have
been laid out In most large parks.
However this may be. motives OF the
attitude OF the more conservative con-
slls in this matter are most emphatIcal-
~ those of good citizenship.
Until recently New Jersey and Massa-
ehusetts were the two states which had
done most for the highways. The most
radical OF recent legislation, however. Is
the new Connecticut law tstatutes OF 1888
which pledges the state to pay one-third
the cost OF one mile of read In each town
each year IL the county and the town
will each pay one-third. The cost of one
mile of road Is estimated at 1900 A
poor town IS by this means enabled 10
get mile OF good road at a direct cost
TO itself of but 81 .oon. and the most OF the
general state and country cost falls on
che richer towns and cities. a better de-
vice could hardly be imagined for en-
couraT!ng road Improvement in the poor
er regions Eighty-fve towns awaited
themselves OF the law last year. and sew
enty-five more have already swung into
line I'm 1896. These are about two-thiris
OF all the towns IN the ii.tle Nutmeg state.
Before this year is over a New York cy-
clist may ride on good roads nearly all
the way to Boston, by way Of New
Haven, Hartford and Springfield.
In New Jersey. road building has been
carried on upon scientific principles. not
50 much throughout the state. "a In Con-
nect.cut, but rather concentrated in the
more popuious counties. SIN. one may
ride 10 Philadelphia. ninety miles. on good