The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-03-22
government AID
FOR GOOD ROADS.
DR.. A. D. James Comes out
Strong for Better System.
Substantial, and Always PaSSible
Is What Made Rome Great
And What We Need.

1.-THE following interview with Congress-
keeping with what The Republican
has been saying for several weeks,
indeed we are inclined to believe the
Doctor got his cue" from our pa
per.
Better public highways is unques-
tiOnably to be one of the leading prob
lens in the future" said DR.. A. d.
James, Congressman from the Third
district, at the customhouse Yester-
day afternoon. 81 am for improve
ments of the waterways of the Middle
West, but that will not altogether solve
the great problem OF business and
comfort for the people of the Central
States. We have the railroads and we
may have more, but while the rail-
roads are great civilizers in their line.
yet we are lacking in lead what made
Rome the greatest power in the world
public highways that could be ira
verced at all times of the year.
There is nothing ornamental about
the railroads along with their great
strides at usefulness. Their steel
bridges span the rivers, but their APP
proaches are not slightly, and the pc
destrian or the traveller in the vehicle
has no part or parcel in their i'm
provements. The railroads will never
reach the innermost parts of the coun-
try. We want some splendid public
highways in this country. which can
be travelled over during all months of
the year. Great public highways will
be the browning thing in the way of
making this country entirely great.
Our public highways are a laughing
stock to Europeans who, visit this coun-
try. The country will never reach the
stage of development that it should
until there are public roads that can
be traversed the year round"
d.. James said that he had not full
ly mapped out plan for building sub
stantial and lasting public highways,
but he is of the opinion that the
States should begin to make appro-
priations to this end which should be
supplemented by national appropria-
tons. He believes the roads should be
interstate as far as possible, but this
is problem yet to be worked out He
N lie hs. httiI N q
should be under the supervision of the
National Government, at least the
building of those highways which will
cross different States. He is unwilling
to commit himself on any certain plan
in this line. He thinks plan will
work itself out if the problem is suf
ficiently agitated.
I'm nearly every cc..,y in Ken
lucky" continued the &c or, 1.-THE
roads are impossible at last six
months in the year and Il many
counties the roads are not fit trav-
ell eight months in the year. W. Rave
: the rock in all parts of the state to
build roads that will last forever. The
counties should quit putting so much
money into dragging new dirt into
washouts on roads every spring and
begin to build few miles of substan-
tial and lasting road each year.
Before railroad building started in
this country a system of public high
way building was being inaugurated
by the government, but this was drop
ped in the excitement that followed
the discovery of steam power and
much railroad building. We want
many magnificent national public
highways. These will make cur coun-
try great. think the development of
the automobile will have much to do
with development along this line. 1t
is better to travel on magnificent
highway skirted with fine resi-
dences. and magnificent groves than
go whirling through unimproved and
unsightly lands on train. Good roads
are what we want and they are what
we are going to get eventually.
MY district is mining and agri-
cultural district. 1t is drained by
Green river, magnificent waterway.
This stream, fortunately is navigable
the year round, but the Ohio, into
which it empties, is not. am for the
Improvement of the rivers of the GEN.
trail part of the United States. am
for the Improvement of all sections of
the country, but am, for. the Middle
West above all things. The seaboard