The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-16
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE WAGON
ROADS.

For many years the Federal Government
has been making large appropriations for river
and harbor improvements. The theory upon
which this has been permissible 10 that the
improvement Of transportation facilities is
matter Of vital public concern and that the
people will get enough good thereffom to more
than warrant the expenditures. The accep-
lance of the soundness of this contention must
carry with 1t the endorsement of Government
aid in the construction and improvement of
wagon roads. These highways afford trans
portation facilities which after all most directly
affect and come closest home to the greatest
number ofpecple. The produce which forms
so large part of the freight carried by the
railroads must first be hauled by wagons from
the farms. This is large item in the aggre-
gate, very much larger, than is generally APP
preciated because SO widely distributed and
because each individual haul taken by itself,
is a small affair.
The general Government supposed to have
an interest in the welfare Of all the people and
a willingness to improve and promote it
whenever and wherever possible. Jfthis view
obtains. the general Government cannot long
withhold its aid to road improvement along
the line of the Brownlow- Latimer bill now
before Congress. for certainly wagon road con-
ditions affect more people than any and all
other internal improvement projects
The main argument in favor Of river and
harbor Improvements is that they promote the
general welfare and that the improvements
entail an expense too heavy to be borne by the
people Of the localities most directly interested,
and hence would never be made if the Govern
ment refused to foot The bills. The same argu-
ments apply with equal force to the improve
ment of the public highways. II is equally
certain that this great work will remain I'M
done. as it has through century of our his
tory, if the whole burden of the expense is left
to be carried by the farming classes Of the
states
The farmers are the producers of the wealth
of the country, preserving the balance of trade
in our favor year by year. Secretary Wilson
has just given rs some astounding figures as
the result of agriculture for the year 1905 The
people who create this vast national wealth are
certainly entitled to the nations consideration.
The enormous cost of bad roads to the farmers
is not only destructive ofthe profits that should
be saved to them, but is sickening to agricul-
tural ambition and disheartening to increased
effort Bad roads form the greatest menace to
farm life and by their hurtful influence are
driving young men from rural communities
to the cities. Nothing can be more harmful
! to the national. welfare. The farm home is
the bulwark of the republic. Everything pos
sible should be done to encourage the farmers
of the land.
Nothing that this great Government can do
would be SO profitable at this time as to extend
its aid to highway improvement, and nothing
that the people can do for themselves is more
important than to demand of Congress the en-
actment into law of what is known as the
Brownlow. Latimer good roads bill. This pa
per urges the measure as one most essential to
the national ll-being, and we hope our read
ers will instantly take the matter up by per-
sonal letters and petitions to our Senators and
Representatives in Congress. Hon. w. P.
Brownlow will be pleased to send copy of
the bill to anyone who writes for it.