The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-16
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY IS. i 1901 o..
The Hartford Convention.

The Hartford Convention.
The convention III Hartford last week ''a
- ia American Road Makers Assoc Gu.
,,on p.as 4 notable event. Distinguished
,ncn from all parts of the country were
present and a number OF prac'ie t = g s
dresses were made on tho subject .E. q to''u
making. ys .n I'd @ =.
S rho first speaker was United states
senator Latimcr Of South Carolina VINO
= enthusiastically advocating national a'u
4, DO GOOD roads movement he was
rec e,yed with great applause, anu y sioNo
4 strongly in favor Of the passage ~ 80
"a .yress If a Bill granting national Yaid lor
Y improved highways, ~
The next speaker was Mr.. Horatlo q
1-.r,a highway commissioner Of the oo. .ai'o
:, ,,ichiran. In speaking OF national
aid for highways improvements Ne s''u
+,,at ii wasa as constitutional for the GOV
ernnert to make appropria tons LOT NE sA -
,,.,ys Z It was for5it to pay out money '''
III ~ roadways and in giving grants -
,.i,roads. over $500, 100000 has been eS--
t rerded III improving waterways ana l1 h ~
aided railways to the I extent :S' y 800
IN, 200. and in addition had donuteo' ~
railroads 1o6,oO0.o01 acres OF INC puot wv
ao,n,,n, The money for the vast eApe''''
d,tnre was obtained from the intct -
.jj,,.onne and tariff taxes He urged ina l''
4. : Government should pay somet I1Is
$55 So, thase taxes for the making OF nigh
n, 4 ! z + y . VI Z q Z I = +
ways. ,rt,,,
M 1,odre director in the Office OF Puol'e
,,oad Inquiries in the Department o.
8 brriculture at washington. n part "a r ne
said:
sS,,,,,,,. neonle are alarmed in conse-
x.t,,rsns ofa the concentration OF Wea!tn
ia ,on,llation in the great clues OF Owl
n.tinn hut few seem to appreciute Wy
arroct1this has in the rural districts -
Il doubtful whether anything can %
s9i properly done to interfere Win tlie tsa'
~ economic law that makes lot conetn.
tration Of numbers, wealth ana pu"e :
in the great cities, becuusc there Is
CIV In the wages of labor and the
F. nrrf,ts of industry us manifested IN INC
prevailing system; but something can DC
nronerly done to offset the correlali'c
loss which has fallen on the ru'a4 W. =,
trlcts By reason of the great chahse :.
the wealth and population wnlch nla''''
tested itself within the last generation
& ono of the chief corncrstones on %li'ol
every great city is founded IS cueai
RECONSIDERATION; not only cheap transpor-
alton for long distances over pott
Il land and water, by means OF which INC
food products and the materlais ~
rnanufacture caif be concentrated VIII
but little cost, but cheap Transportation
n the cites themselves by reason OF
paved streets and vehicles pfopelieeo ps
81 inanimate power. The country distrlc.s
lack this important clement-tha1 IS u
Eng saw ohean6 Observation-Disclosures a great OK.
TENT. Tho vehicle propelled by ANNA
mower proceeding over common coun'
trv road is about as expensive a means
AZ TRANSPORTATION now as 1t was tllts
sEFor one hundred years ago. ana u s'ii
@ costs by that means for passengers LeI
cents a mile and for freight twenty-five
cents a ton mile.
1t is the contention of this paper. az
our readers know, that good counU!
q roads will do more than any other agency
to decentralize the population; 70 rellev
y the cities of their congestion, and t
distribute the people more event.
throughout the rural districts. The argu
IS ments in favor of public roads are $
many and so powerful that 1t Is hard T
know where 10 stop when one has begun
But from the standpoint of government
II seems to us that this Is sufiicien
reason for government aid in road con
at.uction II is in the interest of govern
ment that the population be well pro
portioned throughout the rural districts
and, as we have before pointed out,
is clearly in the interest of Democrac
that such a condition should exist. W
cannot reasonably expect the people
the rural districts 10 bear the entire COS
OF making good roads, 1t is a burde
which the whole people should bear, al
there should be cooperation between II
B national government the several STA
governments and the several count,
Within the States,
E89 Tomorrow we shall refer to what ";
gaid at the Hartford convention abo,
Btate aid 10 country roads. In the mea
time, we urge our readers througho
the State Of Virginia to write 10 tht
representatives IN the Legislature, esp
# cially the members Of the Senate, and a
them to usc their best endeapor to &
q State road law enacted at this scssie
@ il there Is to be national aid, Virgin
should put herself in position to recei
g It, 1t can certainly do no harm TO ha
general road Law. and we should have
at the earliest possible moment,
Neutrality-suspicious.
Municipal Election.