River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-04-28
NATIONAL AID FOR ROADS.
Col. Brownlow Is Sure That the Pros.
poets of His Pet Measure Are
Growing Brighter.

Col. Brownlow, of Tennessee, the pio-
neer advocate of national aid to road
Improvement, has given to the press an
interview in which he discusses the
progress and prospects of the good roads
movement. He says:
"The movement is making gigantic
strides. Judging from the letters | re-
ceive, nearly everybody in the United
States wants the government to aid in
improving the roads. / know from the
comments of the press, and the resolu-
tons adopted by state legislatures and
conventions in all parts of the country
that national aid is making enormous
Roadway among the people. In re-
cent communication from w. H. Moore,
president of the National GOOD Roads
association, he says:
" Everywhere l go governors and Of
ficials and the great mass of common
people want the government to assist
them in building roads-not as a ques-
ton of charity, but governmental duty
81 have a letter from Prof. j. H.
Bruner, president of Hiwassee college,
Tenn, in which he says:
Millions have gone for the improve
ment of harbors and rivers, and millions
more will go for canals. But the good
work should not stop there. Good roads
are needed to get the products of the
country to the railways, the rivers, the
cities, the outside world. Rural routes
for the postal department need improve
ment.
1 am entering my eightieth year.
No enterprise of equal Importance to
this good-roads movement has come be-
fore the American people in my day.
There is blessing in it for everybody,
in town and country"
But don't you think, colonel" asked
a friend, that the proposal to spend such
a large sum along an entirely new line
of national expenditure will prove start
ling when the people take a sober second
thought"
THAT the proposition is new one in
one sense, l concede. The idea of appro-
priating government funds to be spent
in the rural districts for the direct BEN
eft of the country people is decidedly
new. Heretofore, the principal rela-
ton which the farmers have sustained
toward the government is that of tax
payers. But I think it is about time
for that to come to an end, and, if [
am not mistaken, the farmers are conf
ing to the same conclusion.
GAS to the size of the appropriation,
I want to say that I think it is very
small when compared with the sums we
are appropriating for other purposes.
This is period of profound peace; yet
we are proposing to vote 100000 for
the army and $96,000,000 for the navy
to be expended in single year. My bill
proposes an appropriation of only $24,-
100000, to be spent in three years, or
$4,000, 900 a year, just one-twelfth of
what we propose to spend on our navy.
Nobody was particularly startled last
year when we appropriated over 0,000,-
900 for river and harbor improvement.
don't think the tax-paying farmers
will be very badly scared at an appro-
priation of $4,000 900 to help them build
good roads. Besides, they know they
will have to pay just as much tax
whether they get any of 1t back or not.
you can say that, on the whole, am
we'll satisfied with the progress we have
made and that firmly believe federal
cooperation with the states in building
roads is coming, and coming soon"