Arizona republican., 1903-02-23

number of bulletins and circulars treat ing on the various phases of road build ing and improvement. This work oc- cupied several years, and 1t was done well. If the roads in most parts or the country remain bad, it is not for the want of information as to how they
 may be improved in the best and most economical manner; for Uncle sam good roads office is a veritable in formation bureau on the subject.
 But the worl. of this office did not
 stop here. The educational idea was
 carried further, and during the past three years the object lesson feature
 has assumed greater importance. The
 idea as carried out is very simple When the people of some progressive community, or the authorities of some
 educational institution want a piece or road built to illustrate the benefits of good roads and the methods of building
 them. application is made to the de
 nartment of agriculture, and, whenever
 possible, a government expert is sent
 to supe, wise the work. Recently Q
 number Of prominent and progressive
 railroad men have been giving the road
 question some study, and have come
 to the conclusion that the improve
 liicl-b OI Itlt IOdQS III lilG leiIittiN U lh'-
 utary to their lines would materially
 increase their business. So popular has
 this idea become that the officials or
 some of the leading railways have come forward with offers to cooperate with
 the government in the object lesson
 work Another voluntary factor in
 this cooperative work is the manufac-
 tUrers of road building devices who de-
 sire 10 bring their machinery to the
 attention of the public. In this coop
 erative work the government furnishes the experts, the manufacturers the machinery, and the railroads the trans portatiol. This idea has proven e7l- tremely popular. Object lesson roads | have been built under government su- pcrVfsion in twenty states; and so great has been the demand for national aid of this kind that a large number of applications have to be refused every
 year because the funds appropriated
 by congress are insufficient to employ and pay this expense of enough ex- perts to dc the work. Already congress
 has twice made an increase in the ap- pr opriatiCns for this work. but the $20.C00 now appropriated annually proves wholly inadequate to meet the demands for this educaticn work It should be borne in mind that all
 the work of this kind done by the gov ernment is in the nature of national
 aid. There is. therefore, nothing new In principle in the bill recently introduced in congress by Colonel Brownlow of Tennessee providing for national aid 0I a more extensive and substantial char acter. It is proposed that the govern rHent shall no longer cOnfine it's assist arce to educa tional work: that it shaI; furnish not only informa ton and super vision. but financial assistance Under certain limitations the national govern ment will cooperate with states and counties in the improvement of the common roads. each assuming Q certain portion of the expense.
 If the educational work done by the government in recent years has done so much to encourage and stimulate road improvement, what may we not i expect from this great extension of the principle of national aid? It is some times urged as an objection to national
 aid that it will cause the people to re-
 lax their efforts at road improvement, and to depend on the general govern.
 ment to do the work for them Is it
 not likely to produce exactly the oppo- 1
 gress will appropriate for this work
 will be divided among the states In proportion to population. But 20 state can secure it's share except by con- plying with the conditions prescribed, the chief of which is that it shall raisa
 like sum for the same purpose. h. stead of discouragirg state effort this should greatly stimulate it. Again, if
 state takes no action looking Io the ! acceptance of the governments pro- l fered help, the individual counties may do so and this again will create d rlv- airy among the counties in their efforts
 to secure a part of the national fun:
 due the state.
 The scheme is d great one, and far
 reaching in it's possibilities for economic development Time and intelligence will be required to work out the details
 Of it's application, but there appears tc
 be TO serious obstacle. either practical
 or constitutional, in the way of its ! aaliZ1 fiOD