The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-08-27
i NATIONAL I PROBLEM ROB ifsM'
aslstie. Of tAs.Resd a.esese. shssll
Engage. the Attention 90
Oar Hest Men.

SDlotl0a OF tho4R0od 0aesteon Shool0s
Engage tAe Attention %
Oar Hest Men.
It 10 claimed by bome that the builds
ing Of roads IL strictly q local natter,
that the benefits are entirely local.
and that the whole expense should be
borne by the local committees. This 10
not the view taken by the most pro-
gressive countries of Europe. There
the building and maintenance of roads
Is one OF the important functions Of
government. France, Germany and
Switzerland are covered by q network
OF the finest roads in the world. AS a
result. the western half of Europe ID
the pleasure ground Of the world. The
revenue derived from tourists is one
OF the principal sources of income for
people of nearly all classes. But. withs
out these good roads. this revenue
could never be secured $ksg g.
The aim Of the people in those coun-
tries is~st to make their grand moun-
Gains. their beautiful lakes, their love-
~ valleys, their castles and monu-
ments easily accessible by means OF
line. hard, smooth roads. q,
.. What q contrast appears. when we
turn to our own country. We have
the finest scenery in the world in tho
great mountains of the west, but it ID
practically inaccessible Except as
they get glimpses of it from car VIM
doWs, the grandeur of our mountains
and canyons, and the beauty of our
mountain lakes, streams and valleys
are a sealed book t. the general trav-.
cling public. And this will always be
the case SO long as steep, stony noun
tain trails are the only means Of
travel beyond the railway lines In
deed, much of our finest scenery can-
not be reached, even by such trails.
II the United States government, in
cooperation with the states and local
communities. would build great, smooth
highways. making the wonders and
beauties of our great west easily ac.
cessible to tourists, in few years the
tide of travel would be turned west
ward. Not only would millions of dol
lars spent annually by Americans id
Europe be kept at home, but other
millions would be brought to our
shores by tourists from foreign lands
But the natural attractions of our
country are not the only things which
are made inaccessible by the lack Of
good roads. Our places. of historic
interest are mostly in the same cate
CORY. Take, for instance, Monticello.
home and tomb of the immortal JEFF
ferson. Few Americans even know
where it is,s much less visit 1t. Nom
ticello Is only three miles from the
city OF, Charlottesville, Va, which is|
on two great trunk lines. Why, then.
is 1t SO little known? Because three
miles of about as bad road as can lie
imagined lie between it and the rail-
way station. One cannot travel over
that narrow. steep, rough, muddy
country road without a feeling OIL
shame. At present an effort is beinsa
made by small band of patriotic
men and women to build what ia
known as the Jefferson Memorial road,
to make Monticello accessible to the
public. but only a beginning has been
made, and they are finding it uphill
work to raise funds to complete the
task. n
But, after all, the encouragement Of
travel is not the most important rea.
son for the building Of good roads.
They are absolutely necessary for the
prosperity and happiness of the peo-
pie. The era of railroad building onsasl
large scale is practically ut an end.
In the course of commercial and In
dustrial development we have reachedf
q point where the great problem of
improving the common roads must be
faced. We can no longer treat 1t as a
local question. We have tried that for
three-quarters of century, and in.I
nearly every section of the countryl
the miserable results are apparent.
The good roads problem will never Be-
solved locally. It is too vast It canI
be solved only by the genius, thel
wealth. the labor and the patriotism.l
of the whole people. A great nationaiI
movement is necessary In coopera-l
ton Of the nation, the states, the coun-I
ties and the local communities Mes the1
solution of the problem. sn