Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-05-06

am mere as one tf tlc people dH
one of the 80 .0o0 coo who are Interested
i'll the farmers $ work ard who rec, Z
nize sod reads as the greatest noe
oss5ty#of the age and country. 4iHe
couc,m Iltjon c, uumbe:., Wealih am
HoWoI in the great cities is enaseaiat-
ing iNo NiriIr strength e the naIoa
and destroying patriotism. Good
roads Mould di1usc porHIatioh, u. Eata
the cGu-tIy people. increase eanser
yatism and give the advantages ana
comfosts= of the =eitiea=te thosf whe
live in the country.
The United States among all ma
tions. stands first in th" means of
subsistence, first in the extent Of its
Giavisable waters first in the intcIH-
genec and thrift of It's citizens, but III
the matter Of good roads tn Sc lhi-
tiaI t III, aims of commerce that 20 To
every mans door and are used by the
farmers. the business M n, the miner,
the mmberman, the pleasure $ ekor,
the schools aaud churches. the mills
and factories Show me a man who
is not ben fitted by good roads and
will show You the inmate of the peni-
tentiary or of the lunalic asylum.
Coed reads are the basis Of all durable
prosperity. The want of COED roads
is the one thing in which We are still
lngcr 9 in the unrclieved darkness
of the Middle Ages it i the one blot
upon our cutchecn of material prog
ress; ii is that every man, woman
and child in the United States, cla
enough or sane enough to appreciate
their necessities sincerely desires, but
does not get The question is peril
ncnt in view Of these facts, why are
GU, country roads so bad and our rail
roads so good?
The Cause Of Neglect.
Why is that the people of the Unit
ed States, so interchangeable in the fur
therance of all material ends and 50
progressive in all the appliances that
make lite comfortable and happy,
have dUnc comparatively nothing to
imprGve the country roads? Most OF
the roads are in the same condition in
which Icy We're a hund}ed years age
They involve an annual outlay foI the
TRANSPORTATION of fam products great
ef= than is paid TO the railroads Or the
steamship lines. What else ig the
long list of human concerns is =ef
mcre lasting importance To the great
mass Il people than good roads.
Railloae: make sGod roads a greater
necessity.
t. =Hiaf reason eff why our rdantfy
roads lave not felt thV=eu} sizing an.
fuenee cf The age and have hepn Nes-
lccted is the want Of eoHort OF ac-
tion among the people of the country
districts They cannot realize their
dem"r Is upon the state II asury and
they have made none for nearly two
generations upon the national treas
uly for aid in this work. They have
received nothing because they have
ask d fer nothing. A great public
want a great public necessity has
gone on from year to year from gen
Grafton 1J generation, from century
to century. because the tillers of the
soil have not moved with all their
concentrated immeasmrable and lire
Sistihe power to bring about what
they so much desire. Railroad COM
pct les have importuned congress and
received aid steamship and steam
boa' int rests have used the magic
words, open sesame" to unlock in
their behalf for the improvement of
the rivers the national treasury,
and great streams of gold have
lowed cut for their benefit, as
we'll as for the benefit of the whole
country Rivers have been made
T.avigable great lakes have bee u
jo2ned by canals, harhers all along cur