New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-24
WHAT THE AUTO WILL Do.
TOLD At n. c. Il. DINNER.
Senator Gallinger in FAVOR of Coz
crnmcnt lid for Good Roads.

automobile il destined to work wondrous eco
nOmic and political and social changes In the na-
tons life. II is TO bring about good roads de-
cIared the speakers, make clean streets when II
has displaced all the horses. tighten the burdens
Of the horses. which will all be turned out 70
grass and breed a race OF healthy. hearty Amer
leans because OF the fresh air and the contact
with nature the automObilist gets.
The dinner came as n climax Of automobile
week and all the enthusiasts were there. Auto
mobile talk. automobile gesture, everything save
automobile clothing was there The souvenirs
were little tin autos which-f the spring dldh
give out-wouId run just like the real article
Behind the speakers table hung a great racer
powered in mass OF the green which was 'he
most conspicuous feature OF the dining room.
Facing it. at the rear Of the room. hung model
Of the airship Santos DumOnt will use at the
St. Louis Exposition.
At the guests table with President Winthrop T.
Scarritt were Senator Jacob Gallinger. A G Latti-
mer George L, Tarbel. Simeon Ford. W. p. Brown
low. James B. Dill. Colonel Albert A. Pope Lieu
tenant General Nelson a. Miles. Thomas A Edison
Colonel Jacob A. Aston, who postponed journey
to Europe that he might attend the dinners Albert
Santos Dumont. William A. Hotchkiss' Henry
Rogers winthrop John T. Farson. J. H. Gaskill.
Or. Julian a. Chase. y. J. Buckley, Henry N.
Scove William T. Boyle. Martin a. Dodge and
James Mcdonald.
Whom the guests felt sufficiently fortified to en-
counter the speaking President ScaTritt opened the
meeting by declaring for good roads and good be
havior on the part OF the men behind the wheel.
Said he:
The Automobile, club Of America stands S for toT
three thing good roads good laws ana or So9 %
engineering skill. Yesterday IL was the playthlns
2 morrow 5s~ q 8n be the nsessit % Of
But what Is the selfIpTopeed Venice no 10 S IT5
to catalogue the blessings in its train II Is TO
solve the problem OF congested traffic in our city
streets. II every horse drawn vehicle in New-York
could be replaced by a motor car; what wouIo
that mean? The space now occupied by horses sss
would be saved; the streets would De clean. tle
motor rs ear wd 6gd S hS az having
clean streets four times the width OF our present
believe that the automobile Of the - future is is
&r,e T i,AJ b1ains american skin and american
genius and that it will become the reliable: help
fu and faithful servant OF man wherever ciVl!iza-
ton has a home commerce a banner
Next came Senator GaIlnger. OF New Hampshire
who advocated good roads even II the federal gov
eminent had to help out the towns IN oulldins
them. He had. by experience, he said felt the
necessity for them and would be happy 20 vote FOR
appropriation for them any time. lie declared
A word as 10 good roads. Why shouldn't the
general government aid the States and the towns
ours? I know that some distinguished gentlemen
have raised the constitutional argument against an
appropriation FOR this purpose. and recall the
fact that New-Hampshire gave the United states
sgnalizsd his position as 70 appropriations of this
kind by vetoiUg every bill that was presented 20
the United States But we have outIived that era
OF our history as a nation.
I can to mind the fact that In the River and
Harbor bin that the Senator from Montana talked
SppTopriation Of 100000 TO improve a river down
n the State OF Te1as one provision q, when WAS
water into the stream. Why. We have mace
that ought have been macadamized and MADE
q playground Tor the automooillst - s
I Glanced to spend a portion OF my summer IN
n Iittie town 81 New Hampshire that has a pop
u,aJ vb Ok f.. V s In that tte town there are
almost 100 miles OF puzzle roads, ana thlnk
across those roads. u would take the entire
valuation OF that little town 70 mas s t 49,
people can DO is 10 expeHd about 50 per mile ON
frsSSlled over the country roads know what that
means II simply saves them {r9T ,i iy great
privilege 20 DE permitted, as the representative %
a generous and progressive people. 70 vote; u
from the public trsasury toT me PHTPGSe rorin
better roads thoH ;"ey have AT the present TIME
Gage T. TarDeu declared that. while the auto
mobile might displace the horse in utility IL could
do it from the realm OF sentiment. Still' De
said he was an enthusiastic advocate OF the ma
chine even II ne were not a member OF the guild
and had been almost crazed BY the arguments OF
tho willy agents when he tried 10 buy a machine
lie. too. advocated good roads. IN this fashion.
What ask you. should our state and nation
be expected to do ~ The matter OF imPToNins our
highways There should De no hesitation on the
part OF any representative in Albany in support
the next ten years for this purpose, nor ON the
part OF our representative in Congress In SUD
or even twice that amount. in building nations
do not hesitate to say that every friend of good
roads should make IL his personal business 10 use
and national representatives in these matters. FOR
I'm aiding TO improve the roads Of his country he
will be doing "A work that is second 10 none in
point OF beneHcence
simeon Ford told Of the terrors an ordinary a.
fair OF iron with little gasolene IL its internal
economy Inspire lie also pictured his trials
In the police court after the thing had manaSed 10
work. He had TO hit the American manufacturers
bit for what he called their bargain counter
methods" lie said IN part.
was pleased 70 note at the show that We are
beginning to build better motors. IL Is a shame
selves lie outbaiIt by the French ana Germans
We have been building too cheap. Unless y
have been turning out lovely cars. glittering with
paint Narnlsh and brass and fitted up luxuri-
ously as Cleopatra's barge. And then. il they had
engine somewhere about a kind o. cross between
cuckoo clock and ice cream freezer with the
vices of each and the virtues OF neither What Is
the use OF body htted out in the style OF Louis
Quinze. when the cylinders are made in the style
OF tomato cans2 As soon as these feeble. ananc
n tears and the lead gears 81 ash their teeth and
poor little engine goes out OF business
James 3. Dill told OF automobile legislation. and
the general prejudice which inspired it, The proper
way TO go about 1t. said 70 legislate against
the driver of the machine. not the inanimate ma
chine itself lie said in part:
nisht; under the somewhat faceuous topic The
Legislator and the Machine I have been ire
sisubly led 10 the conclusion that the foundation
OF good automobile legislation is the good behavior
Of the automobiles.
htical party machine II is more often the result
Of the recklessness OF the driver the automobile.
avoid unduly restrictive and even penazing enact
ments by the legislature. must look to the
the rights and even the weaknesseS Of me Other e
az ne and frrfr,r