The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-05-09
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The National Aid Question.

NON I is very gratifying TO note
\ b that but few of the papers
o O in the country oppose the
4 4 movement for national aid
FoN to good roads. Such re-
markable unanimity of sentiment in
the press is clear showing of popular
feeling concerning the measure. We
all know, Of course, that the $24O00,0O0
sought to be appropriated by the
Brownlow-Eatimer bills, TO be expend-
ed at $S,000,000 year, will not more
than start the work of road building.
The purpose is to stimulate road i'm
provement by furnishing object lessons
to the States, and to aid the States
where they are willing to aid them
selves. 1t is an accomplished fact that
the building of railroads by Govern
ment aid stimulated the building of
other railroads without Government
| aid and so it would be in the matte Of
the wagon roads. The building of rail
roads has made it possible for the pro-
ducts of labor of every sort to be
| hauled to the points of consumption at
| the least cost and greatest profit. The
railroads have also opened up new Sec
| tions and made possible our marvellous
development, and thus the Government
has benefited a thousand fold for all
the aid it extended. When we have
the same wise policy adopted as to the
| highways the result will be still more
wonderful, and the country will go on
| to the full fruition of American hopes.
| And this is what is coming. The
| statesman of to-day must certainly
know that national aid to highway i'm.
provement is a fixed certainty Of the
near future. Public sentiment in re-
public like ours does not sleep nor stand
still. The world is progressing; 1t is a
progressive age we are living in. The
men who hew the wood and carry the
water to sustain national life will not
always bear burdens that are unrea-
sOnable. There is nothing more mon
strous in our social and economic sys-
TEN than the imposition of all the eX-
| pense of road building and mainten'
ance on the farming classes when the
benefits to flow from good roads are to
| 90 into every household, workshop,
mandatory, banking house and mer-
camille establishment in the United
States and our Territories. He will be
wise who notes these things and gets
on the car of progress. National aid
TO highway improvement is demand
of the people growing out of conditions
| that are intolerable. No other civilized
country under the sun has failed in
building good roads. The people of
this country pay penalty for bad
roads that is grlevous in the extreme.
The way to relief is through the enact.
ment into law of the good roads bills
now before Congress. 1t is not neces.
sary to tell Senators and Representa-
tives that the country needs this legis-
! lation; they every one know 1t, no mat.
| ter what States or districts they rep.
resent. But we may tell them that the
demand for it is growing every day,
and that the day is close by when the
proposition must be acceded TO. 1t is
too stupendous in its Importance to be
fippantly treated by the lawmaking
body of the land; it cannot be cried
down by jest or special pleading. Moth
ing less than its enactment into law
will be justice TO those who sustain the
Brooklyn (N. " Uptown
| Weekly.