Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-07-14
BAD ROADS EXPENSIVE.


propriated by congress for road
purposes. All the great minds OF
that period were as one in conced-
ing this question to be of the high.
eat importance in deterrnining the
happiness and prosperity OF the
American people. 1t ia today, as II
was then, question which de.
mands the earnest consideration OF
every American citizen. The mud
tax, levied on our people by the
miserable condition of the common
roads, is the most onerous that We
have to pay.
at will astonish you to know that
it cost the people of the United
States every year mere to transport
the surplus products of the farm
aud forest to the shipping point
than the total cost of Transporting
all the freight, passengers, mail
and express over all the railroads
of the United States. In 1896 the
railroads received from all sources
a little over $70O,0OO,OO0. Every dol
lar of this was returned W ~he peo-
pie in the employment OF labor,
payment for material, in taxes to
the states, and in interest on invest
ed capital. The ST. ,000,0O0,0o0 or more
spent in cost of transportation over
the dirt roads was a total loss, not
one cent being returned 10 the PEG.
pie in taxes or as interest or invest
ed capital. And yet this is only a
portion of the loss caused by the
poor condition of our roads.
I'm this enlightened age no one
questions the stupendous advant-
ages which would follow COM
.lete system of improved roads.
The cost of the work would be paid
by the savings of one year. On the
improved roads of Europe the cost
of transporting ton a mile is from
eight to twelve cents, which in the
United States the cost averages
twenty-five cents. A reduction of
of this by one. half would save to
the American people $500,0O00O0 per
annum.
"The practical question which
confronts us today is, How is this
condition to be met and overcome?
Upon whom must the burden of
this great undertaking fall: We
have tried the present system,
which was inherited from England,
which has not resulted in much i'm
provement in the past ode hundred
years, and in my judgement will
never prove a success.
at is evident that some change in
our method of road improvement
must be adopted. The local COM
munity is not able to construct
roads unaided. Many of the states
are not able to do so, and even if
they were, there is feeling, which
in my opinion'is well founded, that
it would be unjust to require them
to bear the whole burden. The con-
sumers of raw material and food
products throughout the United
Slater are equally interested with
the producer in lowering the cost
of transportation, as they in the end
have to pay this heavy tax. As this
burden cannot be equally distrib-
uted except by placing it en- all the
people, and az the most rsaunera-
tive powers of raising revenue, or
iginally held by the states, are now
in the federal government. tits only
by an appropriation out of toe fed
eral treasury thatthis Improvement
of our roads CAN be accomplished
with justice to all the peopie.
"Tho next question wkish pre-
SCENTS itself ia as to the power of
congress tn make such an appro-
priation. think that the power ex-
lets by express grant in the conssi