The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-04-30
AGRICULTURAL HINTS
SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.
Roads Agitation of the L. A. w. Is by
No Means AntaEonistic to the
Farmers' Interests.

who is at the head of the League Of
American Wheelmen in its work for
better roads, delivered an address at
the national assembly of hat organiZa-
ton, held at St. Louis recently, which
will prove of much interest to farmers
al over the United States. He spoke
OF the attitude of his organization to-
wards the farmers, and a telegraphic re-
port of his address appeared in a large
number OF papers throughout the coun-
Try. The interesting character of Mr..
Dorner's remarks appears from the edi-
torial comment made thereon by the
Philadelphia Enquirer, which writes as
follows:
The address of Mr.. Otto Dorner is
being widely commented upon, espe-
cially by the western press, as giving
the farmers 4 better understanding of
what the league has been striving for
in the way of road improvements. Mr..
Dorner showed clearly that the league
had no intention of antagonizing the
farmer and of making him Deal the
entire cost of such improvements. In
fact, it was distinctly asserted that il
was the plan of the advocates of road
reform to make the cities bear their
Just share of constructing and main-
tanning the highways, which are factors
in their prosperity. The aim is to CO.
operate with the farmer in the work of
improving mis- facilities for getting his
products to market"
That our readers may fully under
stand the aims of the L.. 4. w, as out
lined by Mr.. Dorner, we print n por.
ton of his address:
Farmers have been skeptical about
the good roads agitation conducted by
the L. y. W., and with reason. The
farmers constitute but Il fraction of the
population, yet they have to build roads
for all of us to use. They have struggled
along at the roads. doing the best they
could in their own peculiar way, and
when the city people and wheelmen
began to contend that the country roads
should be radically improved farmers
have very naturally been led to believe
that their burden of responsibility was
tC be increased and that their road
taxes were to be multiplied, while
the extent and character of the pro-
posed improvements was to be dictated
10 them. They have felt it unjust that
they alone should be expected to grid
iron the United States with stone roads
ut their own expense, while the con-
struction of canals has been heavily
subsidized, while rivers have been made
navigable by the government, and while
untold millions lave been showered
upon railroads by cities. villages. coun-
ties. states and the nation in stock and
bonds. subscriptions, cash donations
and grants of boundless tracts of pub
lie lands. This sense of Injustice has
been at the root of the farmers skep-
ticism of the good roads movement.
But it is not the purpose of the
League of American Wheelmen to have
pTovement and to take its control out
of the farmers hands. We believe that
Ii farmer should nave a great deal,
yes, nearly everything, to say upon the
subject. We believe that the cities
should stand their share of the cost of
good roads. This is the purpose of our
efforts for state aid. Our aim is to see a
liberal share of the expense paid out of
the state tax, a large part of which
would be paid by the large corpora
tions and wealthy capitalists, all of
whom will be benefited by good roads,
both directly and indirectly. Proper
supervision should be established to
prevent a waste of road improvement |
funds.
Every dollar spent must be made to
produce Il dollars worth of improve !
ment. The roads first to be improved
are those leading from the farm to the
market and the railway stations, the
roads over which the farmer hauls his
produce, and by the Improvement of
which millions upon millions of dollars
can be saved each year. This must not
be forced upon him: the farmer himself
must be given tie initiative and must
determine what improvements shall be
made.
Laws for road Improvement must be
permissive in their nature, not manda-
tory. This is the system of state aid
which is so popular with New Jersey
farmers and which it is our policy to
introduce in other states.
Far from intending to antaSonize
the farmer, we are e~ndeavoring to help
him. We want to help him to set ON
of the mud. and want to help him to
avoid shouldering an unjust burden of
taxes in getting out. Any policy Of road
which is not in the farm
ers' interest is not IL policy. We do
not propose to see roads built at the q.
farmers expense for the benefit of the
cities or of the whoelmen, and any man
or body of men seeking to establish
a policy, whether they be real
estate companies, bicycle clubs, or any
others, will find us in opposition, stand
ing shoulder to shoulder with the farm
ers. Our aims and purposes are now
coming to be better understood. The
past year has shown the agricultural
and farmers institutes sec
ending the work of the league in the
of eight different states.
The Farmers National congress and