The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-03-17
THE WRONG PRINCIPLE.

Satisfied that it had no chance OF
becoming law, the promoters of the
Brownlow Good Roads Bill, so called
have withdrawn that bill from both
houses of Congress and have introduced
in each substitute bill. This sub
stitute bill, which is in the nature of
compromise to bid for votes, is far
less sweeping in it's provisions but the
same errors in principle are there ex-
posed which the Journal pointed out
in the original bill.
This bill provides III section for
the establishment in the department
of agriculture Of bureau to be known
as the bureau of public highways.
In section 2 it Is laid down that the
object and purpose of said bureau
shall be cooperate with the various
States and Territories of the United
States in the construction and I'M
provement of permanent public roads,
according to the provisions of this
act, to make Investigations and ex-
periments in regard to the best
methods of road making and the best
of Toadmaking materials, to CO. operate
with the States and Territories in the
construction of object lesson roads, to
publish and distribute bulletins and
reports on the subject of roads and
road improvement, and to bring about
as far as may be, a uniform system
for the repair, improvement, and con-
struction of roads.
Section provides that the said
bureau shall consi 1t of three COM
missioners of highways" each with
salary of So, 600 year, and who shall
appoint such other officers, agents,
and servants as may be required to
carry into effect the provisions of this
act" The other sections provide an
appropriation of twenty -four million
dollars for the purposes of this act,
eight millions to be available in each
of the years 1904, 1905, 1906. This
appropriation is to be divided so that
No State or Territory shall receive
in any one year larger proper
ton of the sum appropriated titan its
population bears to the total popula-
ton of the United States" provided
that each State provides a sum equal
to its share and places it at the dis
posal of the United States for the pur-
poses Of this act.
1t will be seen tha6 this new bill
is about like it's predecessor except
that the appropriation is cut down
to $24, 900, 900, and the distribution is
according to population instead of as
before when the States with small
population were favored. The popu.
lation of the United States may be
taken at $4,000, 600, then under the
last census by which Vermont is
cerdited with 343, Gal population, this
State would get $34, 364, 10 each year
for three years, which would build
not over eleven miles of good macad.
am road each year or a total of thirty
three in all through government aid.
The State would pay more than its
proportionate share of the original
sum, however, because the State is
weather., according to its population
than the average of the States
So much for direct results. Sub
stantially all the provisions of the
bill under section 2, which composes
all but the provisions for appropriat-
ing and using the $24, 600, 600, are
found in the annual agricultural APP
preparation bill for years past and for
the current fiscal year. The money
necessary for those purposes is provid-
ed and each State has the right to
avail itself of its benefits. That is as
far as the best and most conservative
men in Congress have considered the
general government had the constitu-
tional right to go in the matter of
highways within the States, and some
even have questioned its power to go
thus far. The best constitutional
lawyers hold that an appropriation
for the building Of roads in the vari-
Gus States under governme ntal conrol
would be unconstitutional as taking
from the States one OF their prerog-
atives.
This present bill is but the entering
wedge for new and dangerous class
of legislation which once begun would
have no end. II the government
should build roads for the States, why
should it not run the schools and the
police and the other State and town
matters? The Journal has long been
an advocate of better roads, but it is
not in favor of government aid in the
construction because it believes such
aid would result badly in the end
through the opening of the doors to
the thousand and one other things
that would naturally follow when
roads were admitted to the fostering
care Of the high salaried commissions
of the government
The Journal believes Vermont able