Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-19
THE NATION AND THE ROADS

y toibit6S - tOh Y .
Brownlow. representa- We from the
first district Of Tennessee. He has
contributed an article to the current
number OF Golfers Weekly In which
he explains the reason why the roads
of the United States are inferior to
those Of any OF the great European
nations. Farther than tn s, he goes
on to prescribe the remedy which he
believes Is found In the bill which he
has introduced nto congress.
Considering the country as a whole,
says Mr.. Brownlow, our roads are dis
gracefully and deplorably bad. They
are a bar 10 our financial. social, edu.
.cational and religious progress of the
agricultural classes which they affect
directly, and a source Of loss to every
Other elias VIII oh they affect indirect
ly.
The reason for this state of affa rs
:" paNNhA' iHt uuiutil VI improving
the roads has been thrown entirely on
the people Of the rural districts. and
1T has been too heavy for them to car
Try, This is they key to the whole prob
lem. II not only reveals the cause of
bad roads, but suggests the remedy.
The first great step toward the solu.
ton OF the road problem Ia the 0
milton of the fact that road improve.
ment is not altogether a local a,ie
ltion. The rural population has a lar.
Iger intcres in good roads than any
lother class, and they will doubtless
always be willing to pay the larger
part OF the expense. But the condi-
|tion of the roads affects the prosper
ity OF the whole community. 1t is.
therefore. a proper subject for state
and national legislation. In the coun-
tries of Europe tn principle is fully
recognized and acted upon.
II is especially right and proper
that our national government should
take a large and active part In the
Improvement OF the roads for three
reasons:
!. The promotion of the general
weiiare was n of the first objects
IN The establishment of the govern.
ment.
:. The government uses the public
roads for military purposes, and good
roads are of the h CHEST Importance
in time of war.
q The government makes general
and continual use of the country roads
IN connection with the postal service.
for they empowered congress ito es-
.tabltsh postoffices and post roads"
In fact a grand system of national
roads was planned early In the last
century and partially carried into eff
feet at the expense OF the govern.
ment. and 1t vas only abandoned
when railway building began 10 mon
public attention.
The bill introduced in the lower
house of congress provides for co-op.
I%eration between the national govern
Iment and the states in a general
scheme OF road Improvement. Or if
any state shall fail to take advantage
Iof the opportunity, the individual
counties In the state may arrange to
cooperate directly with the govern.
ment There is nothing compulsory
about The matter. The biz carries
an appropriation Of twenty-four mil.
lion dollars, one-third of VIII CHI Is TO
DE available during each of The next
three years. The distribution is TO
be made on the basis of population.
Except that no state IS to receive less
than a quarter Of a million If this
measure becomes a law II " IN prove
a universal stimulus TO road improve
ment in all sections. and a few years
viii see our country leading The world
in the matter of good roads