Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-09-08
BUILDING GOOD ROADS
Highway Expert Tells Why the
Government Should Help.
HAS THE RIGHT AND ABILITY.
Secretary Of Farmers Good Roads
League Points Out How States Can
Be Helped by Bond Issue-Definite
Conclusions on Construction Mrthods

III. III. Gross. secretary OF the Farm
ers' Good Roads league, has written
Ms follows from Chicago to the editor
OF the New York Tribune on the sub
ject OF building improved highways.
Should the federal government by a
bond issue assist the states 10 BALD
public roads, III so. TO what extent:
The answers TO the above questions
Involve the consideration of several
things-tirst. tue right OF the govern.
ment TO do 40. the need OF IL. its ability
and, last. whether IL is Il wise policy
TO adopt In the brief space available
we must assume the necessity for good
roads: that their condition affects mar.
Eet conditions and thus concerns all
the people; that bad roads are pro
ductive of great and preventuble
waste that amounts to several dollars
II person II year; that one OF the great.
est needs for the social and economic
development ANA welfare OF all the
people is good roads.
AS TO the right or power of the fed
eral government 10 build or assist to
build highways. section OF article
OF the constitution says among other
things:
Congress shall have power Ito establish
postoiices and post roads"
More than 40 per cent OF all the high.
ways and most OF the main roads are
used for rural mail delivery and SO AFRO
postroads In the meaning OF the consti-
tuition President Monroe I'm mes.
sage to congress May 4. 1902. says:
In whatever sense the term establish"
Is applied TO postoffices II must be APP
piled In the same sense TO post roads.
Cooley I'm his book on constitutional
law says:
Every road within n state. including
railroads. canals. turnpikes and naviga-
BILE streams. existing or created within
state. became n post road whenever by
action OF the postofice depa rtment pro-
vision is made for tho transportation of
the mails upon or over IL.
The above Is deemed sufficient to
show the government has the unqucs-
tionable right TO improve highways
used for rural mail delivery.
Article l. section s. clause l. provides
In part: THE congress shall have power
TO lay ana collect taxes. duties. imports
ana cXcises To pay the debts and provide
for the common defense and general well
fare OF the United States"
Is not highway Improvement for the
general welfare?
On March IA. 1918, the house of rep
resentatives passed the following reso.
luton:
Resolved. That congress has power un-
der the constitution to appropriate money
for the construction of post roads mill
tary and other roads and OF canals and
for the Improvement OF waterways
Among the early statesmen who held
that the federal government had ample
power to build roads were Jefferson
Madison. Clay. Webster, Calhoun and
others
The government has expended mil
lions on the old Cumberland road and
a number of military roads, establish
ing precedent. The public roads OF
nearly every civilized country in the
world have been built I'm whole or i'm
part by its general government. 1t is
the only plan that has ever succeeded.
1t is the world precedent
AS to- the need for better highways
no argument is necessary. The gen
eral government is eSpending $50 Co.,
OOO year on rural delivery. Accord.
ing to Senator Bankhead of Alabama.
the postofIice department estimates
that uniformly good roads would mean
longer routes. more regular service and
saving of 20 per cent I'm the cost
Thus the loss to the postodce depart
mcnt due to bad roads is now $1,000
600 year and is increasing as the
service is extended. 1t will soon reach
S10,000.O00 year. While bad roads en-
tail loss to the mail service of 81
100000 to $10O00,OOO n year. the loss
to the farmers and consumers of farm
produce cannot be less than twenty
times as much.
AS 10 the ability of the federal gov
eminent TO assist I'm building good
roads, how better can we Judge this
than by comparing the debt per capita
Of our country with the leading nations
of the world that have built good
roads and found It paid TO do so?
The per capita debt OF Germany. ac-
cording TO the Chicago Daily News Al
Tnanac and Year Book for 1903. IS $40:
England, $SS.S3; Italy, $50; Spain, sos;
France, $144, and the United States,
Sill. The amount OF annual inter
est charge TO be met by n citizen OF
Germany Is 50; France. $G.Oj: England.
e3.4T; United States, % cents.
The panic of 1907 YVES occnsioncl
largely by the enormous demand for
currency ito move the crops" WHY
need the crops be moved with such
haste and at such great Inconvenience
TO tho railways and 50 completely
drain the cities of money as to cause
a panic and the loss OF many millions?
The farmer knew the winter and bad
road season was approaching and that
IL he didn't get his crops of before
the roads broke up nc didn't know
how long the embargo Of bad roads
would prevent him from doing so.
Another factor was the insufficient
amount OF government bonds to serve
rs the basis OF national banl, circull-
ton AS ne. bonds wercfavailable the
banks could not increase, their circuln-
ton, as they would have been glad
TO do and which would have immcd.-
ately relieved the financial strain TITO
country needs good roads. and It needs
larger debt (strangc rs that may
sound. Out Of this dilemma the way
is easy.
II tho federal government was 10
iequa no ncodoI QfOO COO ODp ~ . r,r