Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-10
URGING GOOD ROADS
Triumph of Secretary Wilson's
Long Campaign:
BEGUN TWELVE YEARS AGO
Illinois Farmers Awakening to
Value Of Effort. :.
STATE AID PLAN Is ADOPTED
Many Commonwealths Now in Line.
Best Highways Are in Dis
trict Of Columbia.
BEGUN TWELVE YEARS AGO
STATE AID PLAN Is ADOPTED
BY WILLIAM F., CURTIS.

Herald.
Secretary Wilson has been in the cabi-
net of the President OF the United States
longer than any other man except Albert
Gala tin. and William Writ and he has
made every day count. He doesn't put
on any airs. and he doesn't do any brag-
ging, but. in the, language of the street.
he keeps on saving wood all the time"
In other words. he plows and plants and
raises big crops of valuable ideas. When
the reckoning comes it will be shown that
Secretary, Wilson has accomplished, more
practical good than any man WHO ever
served the people of the United States in
q cabinet position. He has contributed
more to the wealth and prosperity OF the
nation than any other public servant. and
has introduced and promoted more prac-
tical improvements among the farming
population than any other man in Ameri-
can history This is saying a good deal.
but the proof lies where any inquirer can
find tin the records of the Department
of Agriculture for the last twelve years.
as well as in every farming community
in this country. The other day l wrote
about his interest in school gardens and
his efforts in promoting the study OF
plants and flowers and vegetables, and the
cultivation Of the soil among the children
Of the ma ton. Today l want to tell some
thing Of what has been done under MS
direction for the improvement OF the
wagon roads of the United States, for.
Secretary Wilson has inspired and d.
rected an improvement which has been
worth more than any one can calculate TO
the farmers Of the muddy states
Beginning Of Movement.
Shortly before Secretary Wilson came
into Office a bureau of public roads was
organized in the Department Of Agri-
culture. and Congress appropriated
small sum of money to pay the expense
of making an investigation, but very
little was done until after the Mckinley
administration came into power. with
Secretary Wilson at the head Of the de-,
>partment. He grasped at the opportu-
nifty to improve the transportation facil1-
ties of lie farmers and with that prac-
secured SUFFICIENT funds and competent
men and began to push the crusade into
every corner Of the agricultural states.
The results have been remarkable. and
the impetus which the movement has
taken is gathering strength every day.
Mr.. Logan w. Page, chief of the good
roads bureau, called to my attention the
other day the results of a census by
counties which has recently been COM
pleted under his direction of all the roads
in the United States. The information
was obtained from more than hundred
thousand different correspondents from
every county OF every state and terri
tory. and the enumeration shows a total
Of 2151, $50 miles Of highways capable
of allowing a wagon to pass. or that
total only 153 &C., miles of road have
been improved.
The improved roads. as a matter Of con-
ola I'D fhfna
divisions, as follows:
Gravel roads. 1OS. :zS3 miles; stone and
macadamized 38.622 miles; other materi-
ais, 8,8U7 miles.
Best Roads in District.
'tThe best roads in this country are in
the District of Columbia. said Mr.. Page,
''bu; they are. Of course, limited in mile
age. Massachusetts has the best Of all
the states and the greatest mileage of
improved roads. Connecticut, Rhode
Island and other parts of New England
follow closely after Massachusetts,.
THE worst roads are in the south-Ar-
kansas. Alabama. Mississippi. Florida and
Arizona. West Of the Hudson river Ken
lucky stands first With nearly 10000 miles
OF macadamized roads. Indiana ranks the
highest Of all the northern states. with
O,S77 miles of gravel roads and $500 miles
Of macadam. Iowa ranks fairly, well;
Wisconsin Is Detter; Illinois Is beginning
to wake up, but Missouri is very far be-
hind.
New York is doing more than any 9TH
er state In the way of, Improvement Her
legislature has authorised the issue OF
fifty million dollars in bonds for road
building, to be allotted among the diner
eth counties where the money is most
needed, and to obtain the money each
county must pay proport:onate amount.
Connecticut has AN admirable state aid
plan and Is doing q great deal of road
building. The state authorities elsewhere
throughout the country are waking up,
and legislatures have voted state aid in
one form or another in Colorado. Con-
necticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland.
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-
souri,. New Hampshire. New Jersey, New
York. Pennsylvania. Rhode Island, Yer
mont and Washington. In Illinois the
state furnishes material to the highway
commissioners in the form Of stone
crushed by the prisoners in the penitan-
tiary. and ships it to the point whore 1t
is needed. ..>--....-.
In 1904 the sum Of 9771 .4O7 was ex-
pended on county roads very largely
through the influence Of the Department
of Agriculture. We have no later re-
turns. We had to write hundred thou
sand letters to get that information, be-
any statistics But We keep along with
the work and know pretty we'll what is
going on. 1t Is safe to estimate that a
hundted million dollars will be expended
on new and old roads this year"