The suburban citizen., 1902-05-31
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A National Need.

TN my opinion the most important
question before the American peo-
pie to-day is that of good roads.
Good roads. like all other good
things, cost. Cheap articles are Of
inferior quality; hence our bad roads
If we are to have good roads we
must pay for them. To pay for them
we must be taxed. Then, If taxed,
how? BY the Federal or State Gov
ernment?
am in favor of the whole system
Of roads in the country being placed
under Government construction, TO be
paid for out of the United States
Treasury, and, having introduced a bill
looking to this end, am overwhelmed
with letters from all sections of the
country approving it and inquiring
about 1t. This bill provides for the
direct appropriation of S100000,OOo to
be expended in the forty-hve States
and four Territories of the United
States in proportion 10 population. 1t
should become a continuing appropria-
tion till good roads become network
over the land.
Will anybody tell me why the
United States Government should not
construct good roads in the various
States and Territories? Is there any
difference in thus applying public
money and applying it TO creeks,
branches and rivers? Both are to ex-
pedite transportation. to help inter
state and foreign commerce.
Now, when We remember that New
York is nearer to San Francisco than ii
was 10 Baltimore seventy years ago,
when the one exchanges goods with
the other every hour of the day;
when we can now whisper across the
continent-we may think that it was
the inventive genius alone Of such men
as Watt, Stephenson, Fulton, Bell and
Edison: but net so. We have directed
the national hand and loosened the
national purse strings TO the encour'
agement of inspired industrial meth
ods; to the establishment OF great COM
mercial and mechanical centres; and
in certain directions have 20 extended
national aid as to enlarge and quicken
the means of transportation-eXcept
that on public Toads-and have ex'
pended millions to provide outlets for
the accumulating inland trade 1t was
good craftsmanship 10 do it, except
that they ignored public roads,
During the early years Of the Re.
public the National Government appro'
priated only about fourteen millions
of dollars for the construction of the
national highways to connect the
Capital with the distant parts of the
country. The longest straight road
ever made by any government in the
world was built by the United States
from Cumberland, Nd, and through
Maryland Pennsylvania, Ohio, lndi-
ana and Illinois TO st. Louis. This
was nor only the longest straight road,
but the best road in America. 1t was
productive of great good in its day,
but owing TO the differences in the
minds of the leading statesmen of that
day the work was finally abandoned,
and for two generations past the gem
eral Government has done very little,
or almost nothing. toward the con
structiOn and maintenance of the
highways of the country. AS result
the great Cumberland road has fallen
into decay, and there has been less
progress made IN the science and art
of public road building in the United
States from that day TO this than in
any other industry or department OF
knowledge.
The concentration of population and
wealth in great cities would be large
ly overcome if the country districts
should have their fair share Of the
appropriation Of public money and the
consequent Improvement Of the coun'
try roads that would follow,-Peter
j. Otey, Representative from Virginia