Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-12-26
The Value of Good Roads.

The Value of Good Roads.
We hope by having a great interna-
tional good roads convention in con-
nection with the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition to increase the interest
which is felt in this country and
throughout the world in the making
Of good roads. If any one OF you have
been in countries where there are good
roads, you know how much easier life
is there. I can remember when l was
living on a farm. The farm was not on
a turnpike, but three miles afay from
it, and if we had been able to devote to
tilling the soil and looking after the
stock the energy and time wasted in
traversing those three miles of dirt
road we would have been able to pay
fifty times over the interest on the
money required to build three miles OF
good road.
It is not only desirable, from the
selfish standpoint of material interest,
to have the good roads regardless OF
their cost, but from the standpoint OF
our pleasure, the culture Of a COM
munity and the enlightenment of the
individuals who traverse these roads.
1t is not only wise, but it Is duty
to remove all obstacles to advancement
which can be so easily removed as bad
roads. An amendment to the constitu-
ton of the State, to improve the high
ways by direct tax upon the people
of the entire Commonwealth, or to sell
the bonded indebtedness Of the State
cial standpoint, would be wise thing
to adopt. The interest upon the thou
sands Of dollars that would be re-
quired to improve these highways
would be mere bagatelle to the peo-
pie Of Missouri. Suppose $1OO,00O,OOO
should be invested in the improve
ment Of the public highways Of this
State and the money raised by the sale
of State bonds. These could be doated
at per cent. The annual interest
upon this debt would be 100000.
The assessed value of the property Of
this State is about $780, 100000.
Now, in order to raise 100000 per
year, tax of only % cents on 500
would be necessary. And what would
be the result on the material interests
Of Missouri? The average increase in
the value of lands in Missouri would
be at least So per acre. The labor that
the people Of the State now have to
eXpend in order to reach their county
seats or to market the products of the
forest and the farm would be dimin-
ished by one-half.
I am not advocating the idea that
Missouri or any other State should
pursue a policy Of this kind 1 think
the people Of the different States are
not ready for such broad plan; but
am attempting to demonstrate that,
from the material standpoint, the
standpoint Of wise investment, it
would be advisable, if the roads cannot
be improved in any other way, to i'm
pose debt upon the people of the
State in order to improve them.
In travelling through Europe in pur-
suance Of official duties, / was i'm
pressed with the very superior road
ways Of that continent Ours cannot
be classed with them. They have good
roads through France, Germany and
Belgium; the result is that people from
the United States go from their homes
to Europe and take with them their
automobiles and their teams of horses
in order to have the pleasure of riding
for a hundred miles or so upon good
highways 1t is very ordinary cir
cumstance in France or Germany or
Belgium to hear Of Americans who are
starting out upon a tour Of fifty or
one hundred miles in parties Of three
or four vehicles and twenty to fifty
people. They spend large amounts Of
money in the country through which
these tours are taken. What is left
there by the tourists who take advant-
age of these good roads is itself suffi-
cient to pay the interest upon the cost
Of those roads.-Hon. David K. Fran
els, President of the Louisiana Pur-
chase Exposition.