The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-12-13
plus Among
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A subscriber oAthe Baltimore
Sun, having read that members
of Congress are discussing the
best and most expeditions meth
DDS of getting rid of the surplus,
modestly suggests a plan which
he thinks would prove beneficial
to the country. Congress-" he
writes to that paper, "might APP
prOpriate a certain amount of
money to every State in the Union
for the purpose of improving the
public roads," 81 think it is of
as much Importance" he adds,
Ito improve our public roads as
it is to improve our navigation.
Public roads are primarily part
of commerce. Through and by
this channel the products of our
lands are carried to navigation
and railroads. BY adopting this
plan | believe it would give more
satisfaction to the people of this
Union than any other way of
spending the surplus"
There is much to be said in
favor of this suggestion, but as
there is no lobby in Washington
to promote a movement for better
public roads, no boards of trade
to urge Congressman to vote
money for the improvement of
public highways, and the agri-
cultural interests Of the country
are not disposed to act as a unit
i'll demanding legislation in their
behalf, it is not probable that
any part of the surplus will be
expended as the Suns correSpon-
dent proposes. And yet if it were
possible to spend Sl00,000,00
the estimated surplus on June 80,
1902, i'll the scientific and system
attic Improvement of the public
highways of the country the
farming interests would be bene
fitted to a greater degree than by
a decade of high tariff duties on
agricultural imports. The farm
erS from Maine to California and
from Michigan to the Gulf of
Mexico would save many millions
of dollars annually in the wear
and tear of horses and vehicles.
They would at all seasons of the
year be able to haul their products
to railroad stations or to the
towns where they find a market
for their grain, cattle, tobacco
and cotton. The time and labor
saved through better road facili-
ties would represent a substantial
addition to their earnings. In
fact, the economic value of syS-
TEN Of highly improved public
highways Ill every State in the
Union would be almost incalcu
liable. 1t would not only make
the transportation of farm pro
duets comparatively easy and
simple problem, but it would also
enhance the value of agricultural
/ lands
Unfortunately for our farmers.
however, the agricultural inter
ests have apparently little inf1u-
ence with Congress. If their in
tluence was in proportion to their
voting strength it is probable
that any disposition of the surplus
they might advocate would find
favor in Washington. AS the
case stands, however, a few tariff
crumbs are given them from the
protection table, they are assured
OF the overwhelming affection of
our statesmen for "the man with
the hoe" and they are expected
to elect Congressman who viii.
squander the surplus on ship sub.
sides and interoceanic canalsl
1t is true, some of the farmers in
the far West are demanding that
Congress shall appropriate money
from the national Treasury for
the construction Of irrigation
works. But the agriculturists
who would be benefited by irri-
cation and by the reclamation of
the arid lands of the West are
only a handful compared with the
number of farmers in the East,
Middle West and South who are
not included in the irrigation
scheme. The men who till the
soil in Maryland, in Pennsyl
vania, in Virginia and in North
Carolina are as much entitled to
water at government expense in
time of drouth as are the farmers
of the semi arid regions of the far
West. The grain growers of the
Northwest and the Southwest, of
Illinois, Iowa and Missouri pro
duced scarcely half a crop of corn
this year. They would be de
lighted to have irrigation canals |
and storage works built with |
funds taken from the national |
Treasury, but 1t is not understood !
that they are to share in the irri- |
cation scheme which has been en-.
81