Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-27
COMMITTEE ADJOURNS
GOOD ROADS ADVOCATES BRING
LA1BoRs TO A CLOSE.
Meet President Roosevelt Yesterday
and Also Submit Arguments to
Congressional Committees.

held it's first meeting in this city Monday
afternoon at the Raleigh Hotel. adjourned
sine die at $50 o'clock last evening. 1t
was believed yesterday morning that there
would be a session today, when the work
of the delegates would be summarized and
the farewelIs said, but partly on account
of the weather and because there seemed
to be little need to keep the committeeman
longer away from their homes it was de-
cided to hold the final session yesterday.
Many of the delegates have already left
the city. Some, however, are remaining
longer in order to complete the calls on
members of Congress in the effort to So
licit their aid in securing national aid for
good roads, By midnight 1T is expected
every member of Congress will have been
seen personally by some one representing
the committee.
Secretary r. w Richardson of the COM
mittee, who is also secretary of the
National Good Roads Association, and the
man who selected the delegates and issued
the call for the meeting just held. acting
under instructions given him at the St
Louis convention last April, stated to
reporter of The Star this morning that he
believed the visit of the committee. to
Washington would not be without favor
able results for the good roads movement.
He said, of course, there had been no Of
fetal expressions of opinion by the COM
mittees of Congress. but that the general
impr ession gathered in the personal inter-
views was favorable. In view of the fact
that this Is a presidential election year,
when the treasury will probably be guarded
carefully, there is some doubt in the minds
of the delegates to whether the present
agitation will bear fruit at this session.
especially as the appropriation recon-
mended Is such large one-$2, GOO 900.
Nevertheless, Secretary Richardson is very
sanguine and hopes the question will come
up and favorable legislation be passed be-
fore adjournment this spring.
Requires Time for Development.
This is big movement" said one of the
committeeman today, land if it takes some
| time to carry 1t through, we should not be-
come discouraged. OF course. we must re-
| member that this is only the initiatory agi-
tation"
1t is understood that the visit here was as
| much for the purpose of creating public
sentiment in favor of government control of
the road system of the country as for any
thing else. The advocates of the idea be-
Eeve firmly that it will not be difficult to
make public demand for the establishment
OF the system. In fact, 1t is claimed that
every farmer and commercial or industrial
institution is heartily indorsing 1t now.
Secretary Richardson will remain in this
city for several days. He brought his wife
with him, and will probably use the oppor-
tunity to see more of the capital city.
The call for the next convention of the
ready been issued. It will be held in st.
Louis May 16 to 81 this year. The invita-
tons say it will be an international as well
as national convention.
Delegates Meet President Roosevelt.
The call upon President Roosevelt was
the feature of the meeting yesterday. This
took place at 4 o'clock at the White House.
Chairman T. J. Harper Of Burlington Iowa.
explained the object of the committee, and
said he hoped the President would sympa-
.thiZe with It.
The President said:
Mr.. Chairman: wish to greet you par
ticularly, and am sure need not say how
entirely I sympathize with the movement
that you are champiOning for better means
of communication. The road is the symbol
of civilizations. Take our great province of
Ala ka-1 doubt If there is anything more
needed for the development of Alaska on
permanent lines than the building up of a
proper system of roads and, where 1t is I'M
possible to make wagon roads. trails in
Alaska. Throughout our country our citi-
zenS will have to turn their energies in i'm
proving the means of tntercourSe-that 49,
the roads-between community and COM
munity because we are a civilized people,
and we cannot afford to have barbaric
methods of communication"
Those who presented the arguments in
favor of the proposition before the COM
mittee on agriculture and forestry of the
Senate and the committee on agriculture
of the House OF Representatives SAID tnal
this country was in need of good roads
more than any other country on account of
it's size and great commercial interests, but
that it had poorer roads than almost any
other civilized country in the world. 1t was
also held that as the farmers were the bone
and sinew of the land, their wishes in this
respect ought to be complied with, and that
1t would behoove members of Congress
seeking reelection to favor this move
ment.
The Spokesman.
Among those who spoke before the Senate
committee were Chairman Harper, Win
throp B. Scarritt. president of the Automo-
bile Club of America; L. M. Haupt of Penn
sylvania. Samuel ]. Hill of Seattle, Wash. !:
F. H. Hiatt of South Carolina. J. B. Kille-
brew Of Tennessee; H. P. Gillette of New
York. associate editor of the Engineering
News. and George w. Cooley of Minnesota.
The following addressed the House COM
mittee: Chairman Harper, Mr.. Remmel of
Arkansas Robert B. Treat of Rhode Island.
c. B. Boothe Of California. w. De Witt
Smith of Illinois. J. A. C. Wright of New
York. J. A. Banks of South Carolina and
r. w. Richardson of Nebraska, secretary
of the committee.