Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-09
GOOD ROADS PARLIAMENT
Session of the Delegates Opens at the
Exposition Grounds Dur
ing the Morning.


The Good Roads parliament opened in
the Nebraska building yesterday morning at
10 o'clock. Martin Dodge, who is connected
with the road department at Washington
and acting president of the parliament,
called the convention to order and ex-
planned briefly the objects of the meeting.
He said:
With all the rapid and wonderful ad-
Vancement made in reference to both trans
portation and communication between dis
tant places, there has been comparatively
little progress in bettering the common roads
of the country, and the means of communi-
cation in the rural districts but short dis
tances from one another 1t still costs an
average of 25 cents a mile per ton to move
the products of the country by animal
power upon the common roads and this can
undoubtedly be reduced to an average Of 5
cents by introducing the best known means
of Improvement. 1t is the desire of the gov
ernment TO do everything possible to solve
the road problem, and especially to ascer
tain and publish all facts pertaining to leg
islation and construction of roads and the
best methods Of combining materials most
suitable to the end in view.
Edward Rosewater, vice president of the
National Goods Roads association, was
then introduced as chairman of the meeting.
He spoke of the need Of better roads
throughout the United States, and especially
in Nebraska mentioning a recent attempt
on the part of the citizens of this county
to improve their highways, for which the
county appropriated several thousands of
dollars.
1t was the sense of the meeting that the
subject of good roads Is so vital a one that
permanent organization should be formed
before proceeding to the reading of the
papers dealing with the subject. On mo-
tion two committees were appointed by the
chair. one to draw up resolutions and the
other to submit a constitution at the after
noon session. The following were named
on these committees: Resoutions-Dele-
gates Patterson of Nebraska, Moore of Mis-
souri,, Kennedy of Pennsylvania and Rankin
of Ohio; permanent Observation-Disclosures
Helsley of Nebraska, Schackleford of Mis-
souri, and Donner of Wisconsin.
After electing A. b. Dunning of Pennsyl-
vanla temporary secretary the convention
adjourned to hear the New York day ex-
ercises at the Auditorium and allow the
committees time to prepare their reports
Organize the Association.
The afternoon session convened at
o'clock. Short addresses were made by
nearly all the delegates in attendance, and
a set of resolutions was adopted. The
d
welcome by General Manager Clarkson on
behalf of the exposition, after which the
committee on permanent organization re-
ported the names of the officers for the
ensuing year as follows: Martin Dodge,
head Of the department of road inquiry,
president; A. B. Dunning of Scranton, Pa,
secretary. These were elected, and Mr..
Dodge took the chair.
The first speaker was d. V. Purington
of Chicago, who called attention to the fact
that the people of the United States have
done a great deal more to make their
houses beautiful internally than they have
to better the looks of the outside by i'm
proving the roads. He was followed by
Thomas Schackleford of Missouri, who
favored the suggestion that the Farmers
institute take the matter in charge. Prof.
Luten of Purdue university suggested that
the colleges throughout the country should
have samples of the best material for the
construction of good roads, and instruction
should be given in the art of roadmaking.
Otto Dorner of Milwaukee, chairman of the
good roads department of the League of
American Wheelmen, wanted the geological
department of the state to report annually
or more often If possible in regard to the
states ability to furnish the proper ma
teral for the construction of improved
highways.
Talks endorsing the policy of the League
of American Wheelmeen were made by E.
G. Harrison of New Jersey and James R.
Dunn of Massilon, o. James d. Dewell of
New Haven, Conn, spoke Of the attempts
at road improvement in the New England
states. He said that the people had not
yet got out of the old notion that it is as
easy to build a road over a hill as to 60
around it. He advocated the wide tire for
vehicles. Former Senator Charles F. Man
derson of Nebraska told of the great eX-
pense that the city of Omaha had been to
in order to lay out the streets of this city
at right angles over the bluffs He advo-
Gated contour roads. Miss Rella Harber of
Trenton, Mo-, state organizer of the Good
Roads and Public Improvements associa
tion of that state, said that she hoped that
in the next two years the people would
be so educated that when a man comes
up for election to the legislature he will
need to be a member of some good roads
organization. She expressed the hope that
soon there would be an organization in
every county in the state. Organization
will lead to agitation" she said, "and agi-
tation to legislation. We Of Missouri are
in the mud pretty deep and to pull us out
the women will have to help. That is why
am in the work."