The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-29
MIR. Bryan Says Farmers
Should Be Placed on an
Equality With City People
With Their Paved Streets
Gen. Miles Also Address
es Good Roads Conven-
ton.

81 hOO1S, MO, April 90 Ills w DIS
the second days session of the national
and International good roads conven-
ton. President Moore introduced Gen.
Miles, president of the national high
way commission. Gen. Miles was re-
ceived with great enthusiasm. He spoke
on Military Roads and National
Highway, and said:
L know of no one element of CIV
iliZation in our country that has been
more neglected and yet is susceptible
or beStOWing a greater blessing on
people than Improvement of our lines of
communication and avenues of internal
commerce. Our government has ex-
pended $500,000,000 for the improve
ment of our harbors and waterways.
If such expenditures of the national
treasure have been made in the past
for the development of railroads and
waterways, is it not now a most ap-
propriate time that the improvement
of our roads should receive national
attention and governmental aid?
Wealth From the Ground.
1.-The property of the people, the
wealth of the nation, comes from the
ground. The factory and foundry in
crease and utilize the products of the
soil and mine; agriculture is our prin-
cipal industry, so the great mass of
our rural people are our main depend
ence; their patriotism, their public
spirit, their welfare, must ever be the
salvation and glory of our republic.
Therefore, every measure that can pro-
mote the welfare of the people should
not be withheld, but should be earnest
ly advocated and most generously be-
slowed. Any road that can be made
useful for industrial and peaceful pur-
suits can be utilized for military pur-
poses. We are not an empire for a
military 6PSnOtjSn1 and therefore
not devising means for purely military
purposes"
Hon. r. H. Jesse, president of the
University of Missouri. spoke on 1.-The
Relation Of Roads and Schools" He
was followed by former Gov. ]. r.
Hogg, of Texas, who made an i'm
promptu speech.
Samuel Hill, son-in-law of Presi-
dent James ]. Hill, of the Great
Northern railway, and president of the
Washington Good Roads association,
was the last speaker of the morning
He. told Of the vast amount Of busi-
ness that is being done with the Orient
through Puget Sound, and said the only
sure way Of building it up and holding
1t from all competitors was to improve
, the highways contiguous to water and
rail lines.
Mr.. Bryan's Idea.
William j. Bryan spoke at the after
noon, session as follows:
The expenditure of money for the
permanent Improvement of the COM
mon roads can be defended, first, as a
matter of justice to the people who
live in the country; second, as a mat
ter OF advantage to the people who do
not live In the country, and third, or,
the ground that the welfare of the ma
ton demands that the comforts of
country life shall, as far as possible,
keep pace with the comforts of city
life.
| 1T Is a well known fact that the
people in the country, while paving
their full share of county, state and
federal taxes, receive as a rule only the
general benefits of government, while
the people In the cities have, in addition
to the protection afforded by the gov
eminent, the advantage arising from
the expenditure of public moneys in
their midst.
1.-The improvement of the country
roads can be justified also on the
ground that the farmer, the first and
most important producer Of wealth.
ought to be in position to hold his
crop and market 1t at the most ia
Vorable opportunity: whereas. he is
at the present time virtually under
compuls1on to sell 1t as soon as 1t is
matured, because the roads may be-
come impossible at any time during
the fall, winter or spring. Instead of
being his own warehouseman. the
FARMER Is compelled to employ middle
men, and share with them the profits
upon his labor. Notwithstanding the
introduction Of free letter delivery. the
telephone, gas manufacturing plants
and the extension of electric car lines
there still remains a pressing need for
better country roads,
The speaker received an ovation.
Federal Aid Coming.
Gen. Roy Stone, chief engineer of
the Union Terminal company, of New
fork, pioneer in the movement, who
called the first national good roads con-
Ventlon In Chicago ten years ago, pre-
sented a strong paper in favor of high
way Improvement. He took, the stand
as mad the other speakers, that ma
tlonal aid is essential in securing this
end. He told Of what had been done
since 1903, and outlined a detailed plan
for extending the work Gen. Stone
closed as follows:
Good roads are coming, whether nv
easy ways or hard. Federal aid is in
the air. Within this month a president
or the United States has said what no
president has dared to breathe i'm al
most hundred years, that the federal
government can and should 'co-oper.
ate In the building of common roads. -
N VINO r@ry--