New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-11
AT WORK FOR GOOD ROADS.
FIRST DAY OF THE WHEELMENS Ma
TIONAL ASSEMBLY.


TIONAL ASSEMBLY.
TUE SESSIONS \ TRIUMPH FOR CHAIRMAN POT
rER-HIs SPEECH AT TIE MORNING MEETING
ADDRESSES IN THE AFTERNOON by
GENERAL ROY STONE AND OTHERS
BANQUET AT THE MARYLAND
BICYCLE CLUB HOUSE
by TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
P,l,,n1re Feb. 1O.-For the first time in the his
,,,,. o.. the League OF American Wheelmen the first
aay If the National Assembly was devoted to good
-,ad matters exclusively. this being made com
,n,sorv by an amendment to the constitution
lootsd At the annual meeting last year. Morning
nd afternoon sessions held in the Young
Mems Christian Association Hall. and al night
she delegates wound up the meeting with dinner
:, the Maryland Bicycle Club house. Many had
a-r,el that such important issues would come
r.S,re the !. =. W. delegates that the Good Roads
r,nercss would attract little attention but the
co5roaI workers more than satisfied with
M result Even League politics for
,or,ea 10 the wall. The sessions today dis
,,ct tr.amph for Mr. Potter. of New-York. the
Asir,nau Of the Highway Improvement Commit
re- The chairman said. among other things
The time i st.ll easy TO remember when every
pubic argument offered by wheelman in favor Of
Inc Improvement Of the public roads was regarded
with LIBERATION only IN proportion as il was
,ofened oy graceful apology and plausible expana-
ton That time has forever gone by. The old-time
teles that he riding of bicycle was presumptve
eydence u some sort Of mental disorder has been
gradually diSpeleG and the wheelmen who years
geo Were allowed to merely exist as harmless curt
Osss az numbers and have begun to pr Int
thlnss and say things which even sensible people
w,h ' a5o dear T to u.s. all When an st
rides bicycle ne begins to study the face OF the
SCI is the propelling power is form of exercise
lNely 70 induce reflection, and so II has come to
knowle7ce OF The condition of the public roads. They
know a. much indeed. a. all the horses and all the
aivan,age Of being able to tell about it. The only
beast that ever known to speak Is said TO
h ins '1'''- MI '1'"'' '''''''" 10 Vic '"' .
WHAT THE LEAGUE REPRESENTS.
The League Of American Wheelmen. assembled by
It's accredited delegates in the city of Baltimore
day represents the sentiments and opinions not
only OF the wheemen citizens Of the United States.
hut in a sense which every humanitarian will con-
cede and approve. the sentiments Of l6.O0oO) dumb
and patient horses. which stand to-day IN the farm
stables Of America. waiting for the drying Of the
mud which vas lett as legacy by me recent rep
Taary lreshet ! have said this much 70 Justly,
NOR m sh be said. but 1t is unnecessary. People
are beginning to look upon the wheel from new.
NOR cSae ana n more cdmoS use Thay are rid
den by men and women Of al classes Of society
rient all parts Of the world by men engaged IN
the learned professions and in all the various oc-
With hundred years Of experience our American
mare Of dri and water Last year Taro5ds
CARRIE Lco.o0co tons Of freight Every year tie
iIsIs6; s caTted ana ss carried over our Dur
wagons and sold in ne country towns and CON
s sna 81 e Hay S4oooSS tonsHthink Of It, look at
one o: these pictures and think q hauling SdS1.o 90
,Sns % q c ce4ea n s tons Of pota;oes 10000
tons Of cotton; total. l52 10000 tons, not counting
III mud on the wagon wheels ,,o,,
ems Of agriculture that attend the farmer on every
with each other. II the man who sold that wagon
the farmer had tried to sell that road to him him
dred and fifty-two million tons Of produce; five
s55 to q harvs aa wh TWv@ hnnsre
millions invested in farm horses and mules to drag
IN a corporation with that amount OF business on
hand with countless millions OF paid-up capital IN
bed Think Of waiting for the mud TO dry up! SIX
teen million horses and mules idle IN the stable.
eight millions week. Think Of the loss Of time
farm. of the slack supply and good prices. when
the roads impossible. Think OF the procession
IN the first days Of dry weather. and think Of the
psry prices they get when everybody Is trying 10
sell 10 an oversiocked market
DECREASE IN FARM VALUES
Some OF these things seem to have become APP
parent. even the long suffering American farmer
himser and farming is not altogether as popular
as il used TO be In 1891 Governor Campbell. OF
Ohio in public address at Marysville declared
that the farms Q: that State had decreased in mar
ke: value by al least $1,000 90 In the last ten
years although the official census reported an IN
crease I'm total wealth Of the state during the same
period Of s2iS.oMeoO This would seem to show a
against the large falling on in farm Vaiue3 Jus.
noted In the ten yGa1 brty agricnursi coun
ties in Illinois. twenty-eght in OHIO twentN-hNe IN
Vorla and in a similar way Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota Missouri and other States show Dc.
the 80 90 population in the State OF Massachusetts
about l,o000O are included within ioryseVen c,ies
upward The poPgaion Of these cities cs ana towns b
last ten years. while the increase Tor the ent.ie
State was only about 25,s per cent, an aggregate
the several cities and villages OF the staie as
towns Leaving out the populous cities ana towns
and referring only to the pare,y oniv
i4S townships which show an increase OF popua'G;r
within the last decade. as against 10, Io"asip D.,
which the official count has determined an ac'ua'
To Show that these conditions are not. however.
,c,iisr - Nassachusetts alone official census
bulletin recently issued by the Genera Xo,h
At ti Svison. 55s per cent more than one,
half the entire population Is Gontahea ih ~ it rem
yesrs the cty element in this division has increased
d. Der cent. while the total population has IN
erTssed Dy 70 Increase IS well distributed among
the several States OF this DIVISION YIN has IN
.Yceufion of Vermont, whose city element Ids IA
creased hut little. In Maine, errioi., =,
chusetts and New-York the numerical nl.i' a. 81
,h c,,v elene II greater than the increase vi Wy
,otsi r,orllation so that in these states me 'u'"'
population has actually diminished III "ui'Oe'
Mr. po,ter's remarks were punctuateu VII" ie
Quent outburs;s OF applause
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
General Roy Stone opened the afternoon seSSio"'
and spoke at length upon the soou Io1OS
o. al Of
vsd tho ,,b4sI,nen TO establish close relations WIN
The farmers arguing that better ROADS cou'u -
occurred IN tina. manner. He said that some Vi "a.
armers seemed 10 think that good ROADS were ho'