Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-09-07
NATIONAL DISGRACE.
OUR RoAos \ RePRoAcH TO our
CIVILIZATION.

the Good Roads association In BROOK
Ign General Roy Stone. who was the
principal speaker. said I'm part:
During the lsAt decade Of the clos
Ing century the best effort OF great
body OF earnest men has been devoted
to awakening the American public to
the fact. already patent TO the rest Of
the world. that the condition Of our
public highways is n reproach 10 our
civilization. bar 10 our progress ana
a stain upon our system Of govern
ment
1.-TWO plans have occurred to me rs
hopeful i'm the course of many years
study OF the subject. The first plan,
which | will only indicate, Is To use the
postal savings. Every civilized nation
but ours and some of the half civilized
give their people the benefit of govern
ment savings banks. We refuse II t.
ours ostenslbly because we cannot find
a proper investment for their money,
but really because the private banking
interests of the country stand Ia
watchful opposition to the measure.
When this opposition can he overcome,
postal savings banks can be establish
ed to the great advantage of the rural
districts and the general welfare. and
! the money can he invested In country
/ road bonds, guaranteed by the state,
/ these bonds bearing "A rate Of interest
so low that it can he generally paid
/ out OF existing road taxation and run
ming so far into the future that their
/ final payment will not be matter of
serious concern.
The second plan is based on the
experience of our country In building
| railroads. We have built half of the
railway mileage Of the world without
! taxation. except In rare instances, and
have spent in doing so three times as
much money rs Is needed now to make
good wagon roads for the whole coun-
try. How have we raised this vast
amount? Mainly by anticipating the
! benefits of the railroads, borrowing
the money to build them and letting
them pay for themselves out Of their
earnings or pay such rate of interest
on the money borrowed as will con
tent its owners to let IL remain on loIsg
loans or in perpctuity. The benefits
of improved highways do not show IN
earnings, since their use Is free hut
they appear quite as plainly in the en-
HANGED value of adjacent and neigh.
boring lands. and II this class Of benc-
fits can be anticipated and made avail.
able to procure the means Of road
building, we shall be able to build
roads as easily as we have built rail.
roads But this requires the intcrvrn-
ton Of the government, state or ma
tional, and the use of the public credit
In some form TO carry the work
through until Its local benefits are re
allied and the heneticiaricS are enabled
to assume its cost. Meanwhile, how.
ever the government can secure itself
by lien on the property benefited
and ultimately will be repaid for it's
risks through notable increase Of
taxable values and the development
of general prosperity.
"What can the national government
do as worthy lesson In this line? Let
1t be a national highway, a continental
boulevard, the greatest and best road
in the world. Briefly stated, its east
ern division should join all the states
on the Atlantic by a coastwisc line
and Its western division the same on
the Pacific, while its continental d-
vision should connect the eastern and
western divisions by line from Wash
. ington through the central cities to
San Francisco. These lines would
, traverse or touch two-thirds of all the
states in the Union.
, THE road should be worthy Of its
builders and of the age-broad steel
J tracks for carriages, bicycle, bride and
, foot paths, plenty of shade and foun-
! tains plenty Of room on the borders
for ornamentation. trees and plants.
not set In stiff rows, but artistically
grouped or scattered and forming for
all passersby continuous and practical
lessons In forestry, Horticulture and
landscape art.
"All things considered, 1t would not
be wise to estimate its cost at less
than $4,000 mile.
1.-THE equitable distribution of the
cost would not be so difficult as it
might seem. The general government
would naturally build through the pub
lie lands and reservations and the Dis.
trlct of Columbia and the territories il
, their portion. Through the state a fair
l distribution according to the benefits
would perhaps be one-fourth to the
t federal government and the same tC
the state and one-half to the lands in
r the zone of local benefit. This zone
would not be less than five miles in
t width and on each side of the road
p making 6,400 acres to the mile of road
Ten thousand dollars for this area
+ would be about $3.50 an acre on the
: average, but the assessment should be
adjusted according to proximity anC
value, ranging, say, from So on the
best abutting lands down to 30 cents
: on the poorest or most distant. TC
=, tighten even this burden to impecuni
: GUS land owners the government coulC
safely advance the money Mt low
u rate of interest, taking liens on tn,
= property and let the owners pay it of
at their convenience by paying the in
terest and little more annually. Or
= the highest assessment the interest n
!, PA per cent would be 1919 cents al
y acre annually and on the lowest II
: cents.
"The general advance in value of tn,
property along the line would enhanc,
the national wealth by hundreds o
millions, while so grand a lesson il
! the benefits Of good roads would stim