The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1904-02-04
National Aid For Public Roads.

lima, made a speech on resolution
previously introduced by him relating
to public roads and national aid there
to. II directed the Secretary Of Agri-
culture to furnish the Senate such in
formation as might have relation to
the cost OF constructing public roads
In the United States and in foreign
countries, and such other Information
on this subject as would be Of use ID
considering the matter OF highway inn
provements. In discussing the resolu-
ton the Senator contended that the
Federal Government should aid in i'm
proving the common roads upon sew
eral grounds; First, because COM
plete system of public roads has never
been constructed in any country except
by the aid of the general government.
Second, because the revenues of the
Government are raised largely upon
articles consumed by oil the people,
thereby distributing taxation equally
and as all the people should contribute
to the construction Of the roads, it is
only by the Federal aid that this can
be accomplished. Third, that tie
Federal Government should bear its
proper tion of such expense because it
uses the reads for the delivery Of mails
and for military purposes in time OF
war, the same being the arteries Of in-
terstate commerce. Fourth, because
better roads are national necessity,
and as they closely concern The gen
eral welfare are therefore a proper o0-
ect of national aid; and fifth, because
the surplus of nearly $500, GEO. 900 which
is lying idly in the treasury belongs to
the people, and should be expended
for their benefit in manner which
will accomplish the greatest good for
the greatest number.
When properly aualyzed these sew
eral reasons may be regarded as really
but two, the first resting upon the
general welfare clause of the Coustitu-
ton, which those who adhere to its
Federal construction believe conlers
Unlimited power ON Congress as re-
'pects anything affecting the general
welfare, and the second the existence
Of surplus in the treasury which
Deeds spending. While everyone must
concede the value of good roads as
means of intercommunication in travel
and trade, the proposition to commit
the general government to the uuder-
taking, even if not open to eonstiyu-
Sional objection, opens up such field
for expense and abuse of adminisds.
| tion as ought not to secure for it SER
lous consideration. The subject ie
not new one, but has been practically
settled for many years, when the ma
tural highways were the only medium
Of travel and trade by land. Congress
in the days when latitudinarian con
struction prevailed gave its aid to tht
building of national road from Wash
ington City to Cumberland, Maryland
and thence by way of Wheeling anC
Chillicothe to Maysvllle, Kentucky,
It was the main route for the mails ans
travel between the Federal capital an6
the West. An extension Of the rba(
was projected from Maysville via 0
Lexington to Nashville, and to tha
end in the spring of 1880 Congress
passed bill authorizing and direct
ing the Secretary OF the Treasury t.
jsubscribe in the name and for the ust
Iof the United States for 800 share
I($15O, ,OOO9 of the capital stock of tn
Maysville, Washington, Paris and Lex
ingtOn Turnpike Road COMPANY. Bu
on the 27th of May Gen. Jackson We
toed the bill and put a quietus upoi
the subject which has feed the statut
book from similar acts. The road wa
shortly afterward built by corpora
tion aided by State subscription, an
; road-making by the general Govern
ment has been limited TO its specie
reservations. The veto Of Geners
Jackson stimulated local enterprise j
the construction of good highway
and the next decade saw the inapgura
tion Of railroad construction, Tad
not been for this veto no one can te
what would have been the resulted tn
general governments thus engaging j
the construction of ordinary rovis an
then passing to the construction /
railroads.
There can be no question that if i
power and duty of the GoYarum nt
/ conceded to build common tighvay
:: it would be equally applicable to rll
q roads, and would require NO Stretch
:" theory to extend it to Telegraph tel
phones, etc. Tile resolution Of Sen
tor Latimrr may therefore be aid
: open the whole subject Of GoYe.nmei
ownership of all public utilities Wink
contribute to the general welfare, am
plausible as it may seem in the case
common roads aud turnpikes, an j
T. superable objection to tits that il is
D. entering wedge to a very oblectionaa
: system. It sounds well to fsad df E
great Roman highways builtby Gaes
! and other emperors, and those wh}
/ make travel pleasant in Switaeriai
1 and the mountain regions Of Italy O.
France, but for purposes of pub ic ut
ity and supplemental to railroad trai
and travel the turnpike roads Of ke