The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-05-30

delivered in the House of Rep.
resentatives by Representative Lee. Of
Georgia, who. with telling force,
brought out fact, after fact about the
deplorable condition Of American roads
generally. 1t Is significant fact that
his speech was listened to with the
closest attention by members OF tue
House.
Representative Lee began by saying
that all civilized governments build
roads, and that all save our own have
some established system for building
and maintaining public highways. un-
der the direction of skilled and compe-
tent officials. Early in this century
some work of this kind was done by
the Federal Government. The dawn
of railway building and steam transpor-
tation. he said, seems to have largely
drawn public attention and enterprise
from our common highways, as a nat
ural consequence. for more than fifty
years - years that have been full of
throbbing life and vigor for us as ma
ton: years that have no parallel In the
history of our race for trlumphs of man
over nature; years that have been filed
with a succession Of wonders and
triumphs in every field of human
thought and endeavor. But the great.
est wonder of all these wondrous years
is that as a nation we have utterly ig.
nored our country roads, and we seem
surprised when we look about us and
find them no better than they were half
q century ago.
Continuing, Mr.. Lee said: "The able
Secretary of Agriculture estimates that
the cost, the extra burdens imposed
upon this country by bad roads, is not
less than S600,000,000 annually. These
figures almost stagger credulity, but
who can gainsay them? And yet. when
n bill was recently introduced in this
House to appropriate S25000,0O0 an
nually for abating this great and con-
! tinuing loss, it was ridieuled in some
quarters as a fake-visionary and i'm
practicable-as if it were wild and un-
reasonable to stop q leak of hundreds
of millions of dollars with this compar~
aively small appropriation. But those
who reviled it have not seized upon the
opportunity TO propose n better plan.
Forty millions of dollars were
promptly handed out from the public
treasury to pay for the privilege of
spending S20O,000,000 more to dig a
ditch in foreign lands more than 1000
miles from home. Not one-hundredth
of one per cent. of our people will ever
see IT. not one in 1000 of our people will
ever feel his burden lightened or his
Joy and tomfortsof life increased when
it is finished. One-half the sum it will
cost. if intelligently expended upon our
public highways during the next ten
years, would give 100 times as many
comforts and pleasures to 1000 times
us many of our people. he canal will
be great public utility, no doubt. but
better roads are a crying public need
now-every day.
"If the army needs a road it gets it.
Even our possessions in the Far East
the Philippine Islands, have been the
objects Of our solictous care to the ex'
tent of expendlng S5,000,000 in building
roads for them. Porto Rico, though
not much larger than some of our coun'
ties, has had over S3,000,0G0 expended
| uDOu llS TOduS SlllNt IL Nulllt lhlO OuA
possession. During our brief occupan'
cy of Cuba our Government expended
S2,500,000 upon its public roads. Even
those little dots in the Pacific, the Ha.
waiian Islands, have come in for q
share and have contemplated expen'
diture of S2,500,O00 upon their roads.
These various sums aggregate $13,0OO,'
600 that have been expended during
the past few years in building roads,
not foot of which lies within the Uni.
ted States. What have we against our
own people that we should deny to
them blessings that are freely extended
to the idle islanders of the seas?
"But other interests and forces are
coming to the aid of the solitary and
unorganized farmer. His friends in
the cities, having grown rich and
equipped themselves literally with self
propelled vehicles, want better roads
to roll them over, and they are inter-
ested in the problem Of the roads. The
manufacturer, learning from exper-
ience that bad roads interfere mater
tally with his obtaining steady and con-
tinuous supplies of raw material. wants
the roads improved The millions Of
operatives in the mines, factories and
shops are learning that bad roads In
crease the cost and disturb the regular
supply of food products from the farms
which they must have, and they want
better roads. The merchant has
learned that bad roads retard and re-
press trade, and he wants them mend
ed. Our Postoffice Department is
greatly hindered and hampered in its
efforts to supply to the country regular
and reliable mail service for lack OF
better roads. In fact, it would be hard
to name an interest, an industry, or an
individual who would not be benefited
by better roads"
Representative Lee said that IL he
had the privilege of writing upon the
statute books law that had more OF
the promise and potency for immediate
and lasting good to all the people than
any law that has been proposed or dis
cussed in the House, it would be a Law
creating Department of Public High
ways, to act through and in conjunc
ton with State, county and mnnicipn
authorities in redeeming the countr,
from the throes and thralldom of III
miserable roads. and he would glv'
that department. not less than $4,000,
| fhn Ill hn Il