Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-03-11
A National Question.

The Lyndonville Journal sees two
fatal objections" to the great road
building scheme now before congress
In the first place, it notes that YER
mont does not need as much IN the
way of good roads as some oil the
other states do and therefore wouldn't
get as much help-just as the man
with the small foot gets less leather
that the big footed one when he buys
a pair of shoes-and after her roads
were all built, she would have to be
helping, for years, with the road
building of other states.
Vermont! This is not a question OF
state but of national need. In con-
siderlng 1t, we should try 10 forget the
fact that we are Vermonters and re-
member only that we are citizens OF
the United states. Incidentally, too II
might be noted that the kaleidoscope
of circumstance offers no guarantees
for the future and that one who TINS
wear withholds his approval from
this plausible but dangerous move
ment" on the ground of narrow YER
mont interests, may, at its next snllt'
find himself down in Alabama, an
humble sharer in great road need.
How different, then, would the matter
of Vermont help appear to him!
If we have advanced a little farther
than the people of some OF our sister
states have been able to do in the ac-
oulrement of the comforts and con-
veniences of life, it won't hurt us
bit to turn to and help them to secure
the same benefits. We are all one
country and ought to have nationai
interest and enterprise. A state that
works and plans in selfish, self-cen-
tired way, will not prosper in the long
run any more than a person VIII I'M
der the same policy. If the United
States wants good, permanent ROADS
and can afford to build them, 1t is ri
diculous for the states to begin TO
souabble about the unfairness OF CIV
ing each one what it needs. 10 us II
seems that the lucky states are those
which already have fair facilities Tor
TRANSFORMATION, no matter how they
were obtained; and that the plain duty
of such lucky ones is to help all they
can to lift the others up to their
standard.
AS to the opportunity for graft and
pclitical knavery offered by this
scheme. which is the Journals second
objection to it. it can not add much TO
the country's danger In that
direction, since opportunity for sucn
dishonesty is practically limitless al
ready. The limit of the evil feared
will not be defined by opportunity, but
by the honesty of individuals and by
the integrity of a government OF the
people and by the people" II the
people are going to keep on allowing |
certain amount of crookedness in I
their public officials and political
workers, they may as well pay Tor II
out of the good roads appropriation !
as any other. 1t is absurd II we nave
really reached a point where it is not |
safe to appropriate money for neces-
sary purposes on account OIL ulshoile9t
public servants-absurd because most .
certainly unnecessary
If our country needs good roads ana !
if a reasonable measure for securing
them has been or can be framed, tnen
let us work for its passage by con-
gress, notwithstanding the thieves
and the weak sister" states.
The questions of driving out the
thieves and of strengthening these
weak national elements lead us
straight back to the great, central is
sue of good citizenship.