The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-29
MOVEMENT FOR
BETTER ROADS
What President Roosevelt Said at the
Convention.
ARDENT ADVOCATES OF MOVE
Most Important Legislation Sought
Since the Irrigation BiIl-Good
Roads Are Necessary for the Prog
ress of the Country.

The fact that the nations chief eX-
ecutive attended the national con-
vention at ST. Louis and participated
in the proceedings indicates the i'm
portance which the good roads move
ment has attained. The fact that
the convention unanimously Endorsed
the national aid plan also indicates
the trend of sentiment in that direc-
ton. 1t is we'll to keep this speech
before the people.
The presidents entrance was sig
nailed by cheers from the assembled
delegates. He was introduced by
President Moore of the National
Good Roads association, and spoke
as follows:
Mr.. Chairman. Ladies and Gentle
men: When we wish to use descrip-
great empires and the men who made
those empires great. invariably one
of the adiectives used is to signify
that that empire built good roads.
When we speak of the Romans, we
speak of them as rulers. as conquer
ors. as administrators, as road build
erS.
There Were empires that rose over
night, and fell over night; empires
whose influence was absolutely evan
escant. which passed away without
leaving trace of their former exist
ence; but whenever the Roman en-
pire established its rule. the traces
Of that rule remain today, stamped
on the language and customs of the
people and stamped in tangible form
upon the soil itself.
Passing through Britain fifteen
centuries after the dominion of Rome
had passed away. the Roman roads
as features still remain. Going
through Italy. where power after
power has risen and lowered and
vanished since the days when the
temporal dominion of the Roman en-
perors transferred its seat from Rome
to Constantinople; going through
Italy after the Lombard, the Goth.
the Byzantine and all that country
it is the imperishable Roman road
that reappears. The habit of road
building marks in nation those
solid. stable qualities which tell for
permanent greatness.
Merely from the standpoint of his
torical analogy. we should have a
right to ask that this people which
has tanned a continent, which has
built up a country with continent
for its base, which boasts itself with
truth as the mightiest republic that
the world has ever seen, which we
firmly believe will in the century
now opening. rise to a position OF
headship and leadership such as nc
other nation has yet attained
Merely from historical analogy,
say. we should have a right to de
mand that such a nation build good
roads.
Much more have We right to de-
mand it from the practical stand
point. The difference between the
Standardization of the middle ages
and the civilization which succeeded
it, was the difference between poor
and good means of communication
obstacle than ever before in the his
tory of any nation, we who have
spanned continent. who have thrust
our border westward in the course Of
century and quarter, until it has
gone from the Atlantic over the AL
leghenies, down into the valley o
the Mississippi. across the grea
plains, over the Rockies. to where
the Golden Gate lets through tn,
long heaving waters of the Pacific
and finally to Alaska and the Arctic
regions, to the islands of the orient
the tropic islands of the sea-we
who take so little account of mer
space. must see to it that the hes
means of multiplying the existence o
space are at our command.
OF course, during the last centur
there has been altogether pheonme
nal growth in one kind of road, who
ly unknown to the people of the oil
the iron road The railway is. @
course, something purely moderI
Now, a great many thousand peopl
have proceeded upon the assumptio
that. somehow or other. having goo
railways are substitute for havin
good ighways-good, ordinary road
A more untenable position could nj
be imagined. What the railroa
does is to develop the country, an
that the country will need more an
better roads.
A few years ago it was a matte
l am tempted to say, of national h
initiation that there should be so L
tie attention paid to our roads-th
there should be a willingness n,
merely to. refrain from making go'
roads. but to let the roads that We
in existence become worse; and
cannot too heartily congratulate o
people upon the existence of a bo
such as this. ramifying into eve