Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-02-25
BE lind THE TIMES.
U'rom the Enosburgh standard)

MIR. Clements speech at Windsor it is
/ iair to ASSUME, is the firing OF the signal
gun n Ia, guberuatoriu contest for lS-i
| We apprehend that 1t will rca sonably be
considered Mr.. Clements pronuncamcto
| upon the sub iects OF dominant Stat. inter
ests relating TO Important questions of the
! day It must be- admitted. however, that
! his arguments advanced in the advocacy
| or good roads arc rather archaic, consid-
eliNg the dramatic instinct and origin
ai1ty of purpose that generally manifests
/ itself in MIR. Clements political methods.
! 1t goes without saying that to his
! position upon the necessity of good roads
| there has not been. nor Will there be.
any contention. AS all parties without
Observation-Disclosures, democrats, pro-
hIbitiouists, nigh license euthusiasts--are
agreed. and have been for the past ten
| years. upon the vital importance to tho
! best interests of Vermont OF promoting
the agitation for better roads.
| In the legislature of 1890, Or. James, a
representative from the town of Water
bury, introduced the first bill for the per-
manont Improvement OF roads, which en-
bodied all the salient and permanent fea-
lures suggested by Mr. Clements propo-
siuon for improved highways. but a mea-
sure 50 revolutionary in its contemplated
changes failed to carry at that time,
From 1892 to 1894 Governor Fuller made
a determined ana successful effort to
interest the people of tho State in better
highways. visiting n large number of
towns and exhibiting an Illustrated map
giving the statistics contained in MIR
Clement speech at Windsor. relative
to the great saving to be made by per
mlnently improving the highways
throue hout the State. At the session OF
1892 the Kinds law was enacted which
was considered merely a tentative meas
ure but an advance stop over the old
method, and is substantially the law at
the present time.
In the large centers where wealth is
concentrated, thus permitting greater
expenditure Of money. such as Burlng
ton, st. Adams. Rutland. Montpelier,
Barre, ST. Johnsbury. Randolph, Brat
tieboro and Bennington. more perma nent
roads have been built. some OF them
being of the very hest macadam, which
ir Indicative of the character of road
building which will gradually AMI sure
Iy extend throughout the state.
Since the first agitation the demand for
better highways has been greatly inten-
sihed throughout the country by the in
PRODUCTION of bicycles automobiles and
tho rural free delivery system, SO much
so that several bills are before the ma
tional Congress supplementing State aid
at the present time; also several States,
including Massachusetts,, Connecticut,
New York. New Jersey, PENNSYLVANIA,
Indiana and Ohio, have made good be-
ginnings and i'll some, marked improve
ments in building permanent highways
have been made
Just how Nh Clement is to get any dis
tinct aid in his canvass by being merely
an echo. or camp follower, in this great
reform movement. is a question. We
opine that II will cut no ice in the COM
Ing campaign II Mr.. Clement should
die to- morrow it would not affect the flu
ture highway system of the State. II any
OF the other aspirants for the governor
ship are elected, they will be as strenu-
ous In thew advocacy for irrproved high
way Ms Mr., Clement poss by can be
Instead of the people of this State en-
ployin9 their time lin throwing bouquets
at each other about the beauties Of Yer
mont as stated by Mr. Clement al Wind
sor, they have been quietly, but none the
less effectually, working out the problem
how best to give Vermont permanent
road consistent with the wealth of the