The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-03-18
Very truly
A. F. Lever, NJ. G.
7tn S. G. District.
National Aid in Road Building.

Representative Walter P. Brownlow,
of Tennessee, who introduced bill
in Congress last December providing
for rational aid to the building of
public roads, doubtless has had his
eye on the movement which culminat-
ed in the Government undertaking the
irrigation of the lands of the West.
A few years ago the suggestion of such
piece of paternalism would have been
laughed at, yet the legislation is now
on the Federal statute books, and,
moreover, if it has not met with gen
eraI approval, it has not caused gen.
eral complaint. That ultimately the
National Government may 60 into the
road building business as il has gone
into the making and improving of
waterways and the reclamation OF
arid lands, cannot be regarded as an
impossibility.
The bill offered by Mr.. Brownlow
is, at the very least, one of the evi-
dences of awakening interest in the
great subject of transportation over
country roads. Mr.. Brownlow support
ed his proposition in speech made
in the House on February Z last, in
which he showed an intelligent fami-
Iiarity with what has been done by
this Government in the past and by
other Governments in the matter of
road building. He finds plenty of pre-
cedents in the appropriations for
rivers and haEbors, and in the appro-
priations of 81, 900, 900 each for the pur-
pose of building roads in Porto Rico
and the Philippines. If Congress can
appropriate such large sum for the
benefit of our new territories, Mr..
Brownlow reasons that there would
be equal propriety and constitutional
ity in helping to build roads IN the
United States. The field for such
work is tremendously larger here, but
those who would be benefited by it are
the taxpayers. not the "new caught
sullen peoples Of our colonies.
Mr.. Brownlow's bill is likely to re-
ceive great deal OF popular support.
It has been widely commented upon
already, and usually with favor by
people who have not taken up the
question of the bills constitutionality
or who have not considered the i'm
mensity of the work thus pointed out
to be entered upon. The Government
has already engaged in the task OF
educating the people to the necessity
and profit of constructing highways,
but the question of conflict between
State and Federal authority long ago
caused an abandonment of the early
plans. The ssOld National Road, :"
which was started from Cumberland,
Nd, in 1871, and built due West,
through Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to St.
Louis, was the longest straight road
ever built by any Government IN the
world. It was never completed, but
after 100 miles had been constructed
work was dropped because of trouble
over tolls and tie question of whether
the Federal Government or the State
had control.
The work of road building has been
usually regarded as matter of Local
concern. but in the past few years
number Of States have taken 1t uE
with good results. The States have
the power and the Jurisdiction, and SC
have the counties and townships; but
it is exceedingly difficult to get gooo
roads in the country when the burden
for that most desirable work falls
upon shinly settled agricultural com
munities. For this reason State aid is
more practicable than national, but
Mr. Brownlow may get up move,
ment that will succeed as the 1rriga,
ton Bill succeeded.
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