Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-01-11
National Aid Cominr Soon.

National Aid Coming Soon.
Colonel Browlow, Of Tennessee, the
pioneer advocate Of national aid to
road Improvement, has given to the
press an interview in which he dis
cusses the progress and prospects Of
the good roads movement. He says:
1.-THE movement is making gigantic
strides. Judging from the letters l re-
ceive, nearly everybody in the United
States wants the government to aid in
improving the roads. l 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 recent communication from W.
H. Moore, President of the National
Good Roads Association, he says:
Everywhere l go governors and Off
Gals and the great mass of common
people want the government to assist
them in building roads-pot as ques-
ton of charity, but governmental
duty
Il have a letter from Professor J. III.
Bruner, president Of Hiwassee Col
lege, Tennessee, in which he says:
Millions have gone for the improve
ment of harbors and rivers, and mil
lions more will go for canals. But the
good work should not stop there. Good
roads are needed to get the products
90 fo ft1n r.oi1 q
rivers, the cities, the outside world.
Rural routes for the postal department
need improvement. l am entering my
eightieth year. No enterprise of equal
Importance to this good roads move
ment has come before the American
people in my day. There is blessing
In it for everybody, in town and coun-
try. But don't you think, Colonel, that
the proposal to spend such large sum
along an entirely new line Of national
expenditure will, prove startling when
the people take sober second
thought?
'That the proposition is new in one
sense, 1 concede. The idea of appro-
DIldLluS SONCllIlu lulI0O W NC opSb1
in the rural districts for the direct
benefit of the country people is de-
cidedly new. Heretofore, the principal
relation which the farmers have sus-
tanned toward the government is that
Of taxpayers. But 1 think it is about
time for that to come to an end, and,
If | am not mistaken, the farmers are
coming to the same conclusion.
''As to the size Of the appropria ton,
1 want to say that 1 think it is very
small when compared with the sums
we are appropriating for other pur-
poses This is period Of profound
peace; yet we are proposing to vote
$77,OOO,O0O for the army and $96,O00,OOO
for the navy to be expended in sim
gle year. Ny bill proposes an appro-
priation Of only $24,OOO,OOO, to be spent
in three years, or $8,O0O,O0O a year,
just one-twelfth of what we propose
to spend on our navy Nobody was
particularly startled when we appro-
priated over $7OOOO,OOO for. river and
harbor improvement. don't think the
tax-paying farmers will be very badly
scared at an appropriation of $780,
600 to help them build good roads. Be-
sides, they know they will have to pay
lust as much tax whether they get
any Of it back or not.
"You can say that, on the whole, l
am we'll satisfied with the progress
we have made, and that l firmly be-
lieve Federal cooperation with the
States in building roads is coming, and
coming SOOn."