The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-19
GOOD ROADS FIGHT ON
COMMIITEE NEARING ATTENDED
BY 4 LARGE CROWD.


The first hearing given by the COM
mittee on roads, rivers and bridges to
those who are interested in the repeal
of the good roads law was held yes
terday afternoon in the senate cham
ber. The attendance rivalled in size
the number that have been at the rail-
road hearings.
"We-want goodroads" buttons We're
seen on all sides, and those who We're
not in sympathy with the movement
set on foot two years ago to make the
highways of Connecticut credit to the
state were considerably in the minor
ity.
The wheelmen We're represented by
Isaac p. Potter, president of the League
of American Wheelmen; j. E. Brain
ard of Meriden. president of the Con-
necticut Federation of cyclists; H. 7.
King of Meriden secretary of the fed
GRAFTON; S. p. Calef of Middletown, ].
G. Calhoun and Charles G. Huntington
of Hartford and c. NJ. Bacon of Mid
dletown, members of the executive COM
mittee of the federation.
The first speaker was Representative
Barnes of this city, secretary of the
state board of trade. He reviewed the
history of the good roads agitation
which led to the enactment of the law
of 1895, and which the bills now before
the committee proposed to repeal. He
was in favor of keeping up the good
roads movement, and did not believe
in taking any backward steps.
Representative May of Haddam, who
prepared the bill for the repeal, said
that he believed in good roads, but he
did not think it advisable, under the
present condition of the finances of the
state, to keep the present law on the
statute books.
Civil Engineer Mckenzie of Southing-
ton, who was one of the pioneers in the
good roads movement, but who, 1t was
said in some quarters early in the ses-
sion, had become convinced that the
present law should be repealed, spoke
in commendation of the act and in fa-
vor of it's being kept on the statute
books.
Milton Pratt of Saybrook did not see
wherein the state had been greatly
benefited by the enactment Of the good
roads law. He said it was strange
that this agitation had not become
prominent before the advent of the BIZ
cycle He quoted from the report of
the highway commission to show the
cost of the roads already built, and
said that the game was not worth the
powder
Isaac B. Potter president of the L..
A. w, next addressed the committee
He said that in ten different states
good road laws We're being enacted, and
in all OF them a commission was pro-
vided for. In Massachusetts alone
were good roads favorably looked upon
by farmers. In New Jersey, however,
when good roads were made, it was
hard to get a. farmer to live away from
them.
The speaker again referred to Massa-
chusetts roads, which led w. H. Ladd
of South Windsor to ask if the commit
Tee was considering the roads of Massa-
chusetts or of Connecticut.
Chairman Keeler said that much lat
itude would be accorded all speakers,
as the committee wanted an unrestrict-
ed expression of opinion.
Jeffrey o. Phelps of Simsbury did not
think the law should be kept on the
books so that $4,000 should be expended
to build quarters of mile of
road.
He asked how much tax wheemen
paid in Connecticut. He referred satIr-
ically to what Mr.. Russell of Hartford
l.; -
walk when driving along a piece of
read in West Hartford. He must have
had a poor horse,
This remark brought the venerable
Mr. Russell to his feet and he assured
the speaker that he was driving a horse
that on an ordinary road would take
him ten miles per hour Mr.. Russell,
who made an eloquent appeal for the
retention of the law, was considerably
wrought up by what Mr. Phelps had
said, and he proceeded to give the COM
mittee another list of interesting facts
x-Representative Parker of Say
brook said that his townsmen were in
favor of letting the law alone, if there
was nothing better to substitute for it,
Good roads had come to stay Horse
less carriages were surely coming and
men who had charge of roads would
have to face the difficulty. The people
expect legislators to invest money in
the permanent improvement of the
highways.
Jacob p. Goodhart, town counsel for
New Haven, said that he would leave
out the 10000 wheelmen who usa the
roads New Haven. 81 represent one
fifth of the population of the state, and
they are unanimous in favor of good
roads" Mr.. Goodhart then proceeded
to show the fallacies of the arguments
used by those who wished the law re-
pealed.
Mr. Goodhart was followed by the
selectmen of Meriden in favor Of the
present law.
Judge Perkins of Hartford said that
the good road movement throughout
the state had the effect of developing
the interior towns of the state. He
said that many of them were formerly
Inaccessible, and since the roads were
improved under the direction oe the
highway commission that the towns
were frequented more than previously.
He strongly recommended that no
change be made in the law. Pre- sident
King of the Connecticut Fedora tiun of
Cyclists also spoke in favor of the pres
ent law.
The hearing before the committee on
r9alroads on the repeal of the parallel
= continued Tho r,T,, IL