Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-13

munication possible between every portion
of this great domain, and to a large ex-
tent gave it the power to Withstand for
ten years the ~onslaughts made by relent-
less Rome before falling victim to the
Roman edict Carthage delenda est"
When Carthage had been wiped out, its
conquerors became its most ardent imi-
tators in road building, and within a few
decades had laid the most remarkable sys-
tenn Of roads the world has ever known.
The despotic sway OF Rome over the then
known civilized world was due as much
to this comprehensive network Of stone
surfaced highways as to the might OF its
legions. Hills were cut through, ravines
filled In and rock mountains leveied, both
to secure material and to avoid grades and
circuitous routes. These great military
-thoroughfares, crossing the Alps, extended
TO Spain, Austria and the regions of the
Danube Africa and even Asia were in
cluded in this great system.
So massive was the construction Of the
Roman roads that the Appian Way. built
by Appius Claudius, still lives. and 800
years after It was laid down, it was in per-
feet condition. No such roads would be
laid today. They were heavy. cumbersome.
and though effective, not at all to be de-
sired. In fact, 1t is estimated that under
present conditions a road such as Is the
Appian Way would cost at least 100000 a
mile to build. After the fall OF Rome
road building became a lost art In "Merry
England it is true authorities had passed
laws that along certain highways hedges
in which wicked men might Turk" we're or
dered cut, but that was about all the con-
alteration given 10 the roads.
France Takes Up Task.
Louis XIV awakened TO road necessities,
and demanded that the roads OF France
be bettered. and, under the administra-
ton of Colbert, the famous comptroller Of
France, 1900 miles of hard roads were con-
Btructed. this movement beginning in 1851.
A most brutal and unjust burden was
placed upon the %peasantry of France to
bring about this Improvement, for 1t was
done under the feudal corvee, or forced
labor system, the poor people simply being
driven to the roads and made to do the
work without pay.
To one of the greatest men OF history,
the first Napoleon, credit must really go
for the present wonderful system Of French
roads--in fact, for the roads OF civilization,
for TO a great extent those Of Germany
Ii-klduu alu Tilt CDhNAi4Gn dIt NoIltu
after the French system. II was Ma.
poleon's idea hat no nation could take
rank as a great military power without
reads over which armies could be quickly
moved from point TO point. With that in
view, he built roads through the empire.
the great one over the 6implon pass, which
was begun in 1900 and finished in 1876,
being sim considered one OF the greatest
Of all feats In road building. II was at
this time that Tressuget came to the fore.
Future generations VIII give credit TO
Tresauget as the real originator OF the mod
ern rock surfaced highway. His first trea-
tise on broken stone roads brought superb
results. In that he set forth the marvellous
system which maintains In France today
That system involves daily reports by in
speetors OF every yard OF national road
throughout the country. This whole sys-
tenn Is under the supervision OF an in
spector general of bridges and highways,
who is responsible for every mile. His
army Of assistants see to IT that bitches
are kept open. holes and ruts are filled,
sand and earth removed after rains, thai
the trees and bushes are trimmed. and that
the surface OF the road 50 maintained that
a single horse may at any time cover
eighteen miles Of road, dragging behind
him with ease a weight which. a dozen
yoke OF oxen could not haul through many
miles OF the Doggy quagmire which in the
south and southwestern portions of our
country are called public highways.
Work for Americana.
II America Is 10 maintain rank as the
leading nation Of the world. there is work