The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-17

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Better Highways Desired
"H HE desire for better American
highways hns expressed Itseif
more or less vigorously for
many years Al general sen
tinent that the roads should De ma
terlally improved has long prevailed
in tAe North ana East ana in some of
The States. as u New jersey. there has
been continuous and in some degree
successful effort o. the part Of asso-
cia-ions and officials 70 bring the farm
ers 20 an understanding 81 The value
e good roads Not until tie League
q American Wheelmeu formed a sub
ordinate organization. however. did the
Work assume 8 definite. national char
aeter. and even then cycling interests
we're exclusively represented 81 this
movement A little later the Depart
ment Of Agriculture undertook sys-
tematieally the education 81 the farm
ers into fun appreciation ~ the econ
0my Cf better highways Then good
road organizations began 10 appear
here and there without particular ref
erence 70 either the agricultural 81 tile
cycling Interests. and the movement
received al additional impetus when
the automobile began 10 Be adopted
for general use. Now for the first time
all these factors for road improve
ment have been assembled into a sir
gle organization. capable. IL rightly
directed. Of concentrating the sentl-
ment In favor Of this reform and pro
ducing practical results. il was formed
at Chicago under the name of the Ma
tional Good Roads Association. and g
is designed to represent the various
national industrial. transportation.
wheelmen and automobile associations
Of the country. which are working %
the end Of better roads.
This LIST indicates what a force IS
available for the reform. It doubtless
represents several million people d.
rectiy and many other millions indi-
rectly. The wheelmen are not so numer-
GUS as formerly, perhaps. and it may
be that the automobilists have not yet
grown sufficiently in numbers to make
good the deficiency due to the falling
of in the wheels popularity But the
two factors are earnest and win in
the aggregate increase ia the near
future Meanwhile the farmers have
attained to a better understanding Of
their own interests than ever before
and are rapidly learning the value Of
a smooth. har1 highway and Of broad
tires State laws are being enacted.
and although Federal laws may be I'M
possible Of adequate enforcement, even
II passed. the national influence Is be-
ing increasingly exerted toward the
attainment Of a system of~aighways In
all parts OF the country which win
bear comparison with those Of Europe.
II Is easy to understand why the
good roads movement has been so slow
In this country. Only a few score Of
years ago much OF the land was IN
wilderness. many Of the cities were on
the frontier and the farms were mere
clearings In the forest Even later
came the period when the railroads
were a novelty. competing with stage
coaches. rumbling and labOring |
through the mire OF the pioneers IL
lapldated turnpike when The railroad |
was perfected and the stage coach was
abandoned in the main the thought Of
the people was turned for a time from |
the subject Of roads. 1t was necessary |
only TO get goods to the railroad sta
tlon to insure a speedier journey than
ever before. It required another eYo-
luton to point the moral that there
was perhaps even greater economy in
the perfection Of the comparatively |
short haul from the farm to the rail
road The Civil War did much TO re-
tard appreciation OF this truth, and |
meanwhile the farmer became accus-
toned to his surroundings and was
slow TO ADOPT new methods.
The function Of this new organize
ton is TO accelerate the sentiment /
which has been produced out Of these
untoward conditions. With all our
advancement during the 4
century now closing there remains Tor
the twentieth certury this fundamen-
tal work Of providing decent pathways /
Of internal commerce. Washington 1
Star.