The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-04-20
nasterly Plea for Good Roads.
(ContInued from poQe 9.

vi SOASICS III IlllS AAWS NV
every Congress been making apprO-
priations for like improvements? Can
any one say truthfully that great
national highways that pass from
State to State are local in their
character? There is as much continuity
in public roads as there is in the
rivers or in the coast lines of the
ocean. With the building of power
full automobiles the radius of private
conveyance will no doubt be extended
into many States. Is there any force
in the logic which makes it cOnstitu-
tiOnally consistent to make improve
ments for a private yacht to sail on a
river passing through two or more
States and inconsistent with the Con-
stitutiOn that a road cannot be i'm
proved over which a private autOmo-
bile may pass from State to State?
W. know that there + many old
State rights men. whose conservatism
is to he commended, but whose wis
dom does not always command res
pect. who object to the appropriation
of money by the General Government
to aid in the building of roads. They
say it is paternalism. If it is pater-
nalism to build roads to facilitate the
transportation of the mails, it is
paternalism to deliver the mails. If
it is paternalism to build post roads.
why is it not paternalism to build
harbOrs or improve rivers, or to
establish military or naval institu-
tiOns, or to assist distressed cities. or
to build naval and military acade-
mics? These old statesmen sit OF the
dry branches of a dead era and dead
policies and bewail all innovations
simply because they are innovations.
They are owls of discomfort that boot
at those who are basking among the
green bOughs of a progressive age
and censure them for not coming over
and resting in their company on the
wlntry branches of decay. desOlation.
~stagnatiOn and death.
Aside from the warrant which the
Constitution gives for aid in the con-
structiOn of roads in the clause for the
establishment of pOstOffice and post
roads,
THE GENERAL WELFARE CLAUSE
ought to be sufficient if there were no
other constitutional provision. There
is no other One thing that can be
done by the Government that will add
more to the general welfare of the
people OF this country than to assist
them in the building of roads. 1t is
the one thing that everybody wants.
L shall be able to understand
Why the Congress of the United States
should appropriate a million dollars
for h construction and improvement
OF the highways of Porto Rico. and
give another million dollars for the
same purpose to the Philippines, with
q proposition from the War Depart
ment Q give three millions additional
TO the Philippines, and yet hesitate to
male liberal appropriation for the
improvement and aid in building of
public roads and post roads for the
conveyance OF the mail in that portion
o1 the United States that pays all the
taxes. OF all the civilized countries
on earth, this country has the poorest
ROADS. The United States is regarded
Oy the nations of the earth as the
most powerful agent in ameliorating
tne cOndltlOn OF the people of the
world. In all that is progressive ex-
cept IN good roads it stands first.
n m have done their full duty
10 sustain this Government in peace
a In war, under every condition of
stress and hardship, and yet the
has not done for them
what it has done for the iron master,
o the coal miner, for the merchant,
or for the manufacturer.
The United States finds itself in
strange company in the matter of bad
roads. No good roads are found
among savages, for they have but
little to take to market. No good
roads are found in Turkey, where
property rests most safely in mac
cessible places. No good roads are
found in Russia, where civilization
has not lifted its head above the
broad sea of ignorance and supersti-
that spreads Ove the land like q
pail and restricts production. But
few good roads are found in India,
where famine and disease often carry
away hundreds of thousands of people.
No good roads r found in MesOpO-
tamia and C'aucasia, the zeal of an
old and decayed civilization and the
cradle of the white race that now
rules the world.
1t is said that it is best for the
people to remain the authors of their
own prosperity. Is not the General
Government as much the creature of
the people as the State Governments?
Is it not more SOP Some States were
created by royal charter. Whatever
is done by the General Government is
done by the people, and should be
done for their benefit. 1t is again
argued that an appropriation made
by the General Government for the
building of roads would work an
injustice to those States that have
already built good roads. Not at all
Good roads, wherever built, would
increase the strength, power, patriot
ism and wealth of the country. No
tax can be entirely equalized. The
building of the Northern transconti-
mental lines of railway did not benefit