Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1898-06-03
AGRICULTURAL HINTS
SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.
Roads Agitation of the L. A. w. Is by
No Means AntaSOnistic to the
Farmers' Interests.

Roads Agitation of the L. A. w. Is by
No Means Antasonistic to the
Farmers Interests.
Otto Dorner, of Milwaukee, Wis,
who is at the head of the League of
American Wheelmen in it's work for
better roads, delivered an address ut
the national assembly of that organiza-
ton, held at St. Louis recently, which
will prove of much interest to farmers
all over the United States. He spoke
on the attitude Of his organization to-
wards the farmers, and telegraphic re-
port Of his address appeared in 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 a 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 bear the
entire cost of such improvements. In
fact, it was distinctly asserted that it
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 his facilities for getting his
products to market
That our readers may fully under
stand the aims of the L. A. w., as out
lined by Mr.. Dorner, we print a por-
ton of his address:
Farmers have been skeptical about
the good roads agitation conducted by
the L. A. w., and with reason. The
farmers constitute but 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
to 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
to them. They have felt it unjust that
they alone should be expected to grid
iron the United States with stone roads
at 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 have 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
the farmer bear the cost of road i'm
provement and to take it's control out
of the farmers hands. We believe that
the farmer should have 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 tue 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
should be established to
prevent waste of road improvement
funds.
Every dollar spent must be made to
produce 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 the 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
in other states.
Far from intending to antagonize
the farmer, we are endeavoring to help
him. We want to help him to get out
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 our policy. We do
not propose to see roads built at the
farmers expense for the benefit of the
cities or of the wheelmen, and any man
Dr. body of men seeking to establish
such 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
societies and farmers institutes Sec
ending the work of the league in the
legislatures of eight different states.
The Farmers National congress and
other agricultural bodies have passed.
resolutions commencing our good roads
work. The movement for state aid has
become familiar to them in their dis
cussions, and has won their hearty ap-