The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-13
HiStOry'S Pages Prove That the
Powers Which Have in Turn
Ruled the World Have Al
ways Led in Road Building.
Were American Officials Awake
to Importance of Rural High
ways, Gain to American
Farmers Would Be Large.

Because the assertion came by cable
from France that the percentage OF
improved roads in the United States
was but ia of the total mileage, or
that approximately only 10000 miles
of the total mileage of 2.150. 900 has been
in any degree improved, a wave of
comment was created, and learned
editors and students of economics won
dered why this nation was so far be-
hind the nations of the old world In
this most important of all classes Of
public work
When. during the session of the In
ternational Good Roads congress at
Paris. Director Logan Waller Page of
the Office of public roads of the United
States department of agriculture quot
ed those far from encouraging figures.
the correspondents Immediately seized
upon them and sent them rushing I'm
der the Atlantic to this side: here to
create discussion in various newspe-
per and magazine sanctums, and by
millions Of readers
And there wasn't anything new
about it, The officials of the Office of
public roads in many bulletins farm
ers reports. through the medium of
public addresses and in many other
ways have taken delinquent states and
county officials to task on innumerable
NLNdriBilS DttduSt lDdt DuilbitS III ltle
United States is an incident, rather
than a great universal improving func-
tion. There are scores of reasons why
the United States should lead the world
in good roads-many of them are eco
monte, while one is sentimental.
Rulers of the World.
It is especially worthy of note at this
time that from the very dawn of civili-
zatiOn the nations which have ruled
the world have led all others In road
building ard road maintenance If the
links in this historic chlin are ITO bind
the United States to Egypt, Babylon,
Carthage. Roilie and France. a few
hundred thousand miles of perfect
highways must be laid without delay
OF the five first nations just men
tioned, each has In turf held slIprem'-
sfcy both as a world power and as a
road builder In ancient Egypt is found
the first authentic record of a perma-
nent road. Slightly to the east of the
great Pyramid of Cheops, at Gizeh.
has been discovered the remains of
stone causeway. It is about one mile
in length and archaeologists believe 1t
10 have been a portion of a road built
from the Arabian mountains TO the site
of the great pyramid. its purpose being
TO make easier the transporting Of thu
illdictAdl FuNrtl III .-itdEliiS alildI vast
tomb. Inasmuch as historians date the
construction of this pyramid TO the
fourth dynasty. there is reason to be-
lieve that this road was IN perfect COZ
dition 4,000 years before Christ We
born.
IT has long been believed principals
because Of the Writings of Herodotus.
that King cheoDs employed 100, 600 men
for period OF ten years on the great-
est of the Egyptian roads, the one
which led from Memphis to the pyra-
mid. and which has been described as a !
superb boulevard, 1anked on either side !
with temples. mausOleums. statues |
pergolas and pOrticOs and having mag
nificent hard. smooth-surfaced drive |
ways.
Another Era of Building.
With the downfall Of Egypt and the |
rise of Babylon. that city of beauty /
reigned over By Semiranis. who |
caused 10 be built the wonderful hang
ing gardens. came another era of road |
building, for the Babylonians realized
that the construction of roads and
bridges was absolutely essential 10 a
and commercial supremacy.
Splendid roads radiating from the great
city were laid at least 1000 years be-