The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-03-26

en- by the senate committee on agri-
culture to the representatives Of the
National Good Roads association At
its NEE ing in St Louis last April
that association appointed a commit
ltce to lay before congress the subject
ct national aid to road improvement.
The committee consis' ed Of one rep
reseniative from each state. and rep
,resentatives Of several important com.
mercial and industrial organizations.
The hearing occurred on January 26,
and the members OF the gocd roads
committee presented the subject ably
and eloquently but, of course rather
Briefly. as the time was limited At
the close of the hearing. however. the
senate committee asked the good
roads committee to prepare some ad-
ditional statements containing statis-
tics, a discussion of the road laws Of
states. and of the roads and road laws
of foreign countries. and other mat
ter throwing light on the subject
Under this general leave to print"
the good roads people prepared a num-
Der of viidabie papers. which make
mp 5le bulk Of the repor and the
most valuable part As the report
lc1ntains 115 pages. no more than
very brief summary of the argumen
can given here Among the most
important arguments presented were
the following
During the first quarter of the last
century the right and duty OF the gov.
ernment to make internal improve.
ments was fully discussed. and decid.
ed by congress in the affirmative.
Road building was then the most i'm
portant kind IL internal improvement
The National Pike" was authorized
by congress and built from Cumber-
land, Md, to the Ohio river and west
ward across Ohio. Indiana and nli-
nois, at an expense of $1,000 900 TO the
fe1eral treasury.
Congress Is empowered by the con.
stitutidn ito establish postofflces and
post roads" Nearly all the import
ant highways in the country are now
used as post roads. and with the rapid
extension of rural free delivery. more
and more Of them are needed for use
in transporting the mails. Indeed the
ad condition Of the roads is the prin.
cipal obs 'acle to the general exten.
sion Of rural free delivery Unless
the government gives the people some
aid in the work of improving these
roads. the whole rural free delivery
system may have to e abandoned be-
cause it cannct be carried ou; with
equal justice TO all communities
The ate aid plan has been adopted
in all the northwestern states from
Maine to Penusy sylvania, and it is under
this plan that the greatest progress In
road improvement is now being made.
The proposed national aid is only an
ex'ension Of the principle cf state aid
so as to Include the nation as one of
the cooperating forces. If state aid
has stimulated local action and pro
duced good results, it is fair TO cen
clude that ma ional aid would produce
similar results on far higher scale
The government has spent enorm-
GUS sums in the Improvements Of riy
ers and harbors. But these appropri-
atoms are Of necessity very unequal
ly distributed. some states receiving
the greater part and many others re
ceiVing nothing at all But the I'M
provement of the public roads is just
as important to commerce and just
as deserving OF the governments as
sistance. and national appropriation
for that purpose could so distrlbut
ed as to give each state rs proper
share
The government is spending more
than S2,5OOOOO annually in aiding
state agricultural colleges and exper
iment stations But federal aid to
road ullding has better warrant ia the
constitution and is more urgently
needed
The government aided In building
the great transcontlnental railways by
loaning its credit and giving enorm
Gus grants 10 public land But these
roads are owned by private corpora
tions and operated for private gain
How much more necessary and proper
would it be for the government To aid
in building roads which are public
property aud for the free use Of all!
Nearly every nation which has
reached high state OF civilization
has given national aid to the building
of highways
Without national aid no general I'M
provements Of the roads all over this
oounfrv can ha axnacfad. for ff il mo-