Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-04-10
GROWTH OF AN IDEA.
National Aid in Road Building, Once
In Popular Favor, Is Once More
a Vital Issue.

The idea of the national govern
ment taking an active part in the
construction of the highways, so pop
ular three-quarters of century ago,
has for several decades been consid-
cred obsolete. But the interest mani
tested mn the Brownlow bill, which
provides for national aid to road
building, shows that this idea is very
much alive. Indeed the popular in
terest in the subject is source of
surprise to those who have not been
giving the matter attention. This
interest is by no means a sudden de-
velopment, either. It has been grow
ing steadily for number of years.
1t is now ten years since the popu-
lar demand that Uncle Sam do some
thing to help out of the mud led to
the establishment of an Office of pub
lie road inquiries in the United States
department of agriculture. The work
of this Office was intended to be pure
ly educational in character. 1t was
to collect and disseminate practical
information concerning the roads of
the country and means and methods
for their improvement. The first
work of this office was to prepare
and publish a large number of bulle-
tins and circulars treating on the
various phases of road building and
improvement. This work ocl upied
several years, and it was well done.
If the roads in most parts of 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
Sans good roads, Office is verit-
able ''information bureau on the
subject.
Object-lesson roads have been built
under government supervision in 20
states, and SO great has been the
demand for national aid of this kind
that 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 experts to
do the work. Already congress has
twice made an increase in the appro-
priations for this work, but the $780,
900 now appropriated annually proves
wholly inadequate to meet the de-
mands for this educational work.
1t should be borne in mind that all
the work of this kind done by the
government is in the nature OF ma
tional aid. There is, therefore, moth
ing new in principle in the bill re-
Gently introduced in congress by Col.
Brownlow, of Tennessee, providing
for national aid of a more extensive
and substantial character. It is pro-
posed that the government shall no
longer confine its assistance to edu-
cational work; that it shall furnish
not only information and supervision,
but financial assistance. Under cer-
tain limitations, the national govern
| ment will cooperate with states and
| counties in the improvement OF the
| common roads, each assuming a GER
| tain proportion of the expense.
If the educational work done by
the government in recent years has
done so much to encourage and stim-
| ulate road improvement, what may
we not expect from this great exten-
sion of the principle of national aid
1t is sometimes urged as an obJec-
ton to national aid that it will cause
| the people to relax their efforts at
road improvement, and to depend on
the general government to do the
| work for them. Is it not likely to
produce exactly the opposite result?
The large fund which congress will
| appropriate for this work will be d1-
vided among the states in proportion
to population. But no state can Sc
cure it's share except by complying
with the conditions prescribed, the
chief of which is that it shall raise
like sum for the same purpose. In
stead of discouraging state effort
this should greatly stimulate 1t
Again, if a state takes no action look
ing to the acceptance of the govern
ment's proffered help, the individual
counties may do so, and this again
will create a rivalry among the
counties in their efforts to secure
mart of the national fund due the
| state.
| The scheme is great one, and far
reaching in it's possibilities for eco
pomic development. Time and IN
telligence will be required to worn
out the details of its application, bu'
there appears to be no serious Cd
stacle, either practical or constltu
tional, in the way of its realization.