The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-26

the wealth and opulence of it's cities, we
 stand first, and yet the farmers who
 largely contribute to this wealth and
 greatness, have had less done for them
 than any other class of people Good
 roads are avenues of progress, the best
 proof of intelligence; they aid the social
 and religious advancement of the people:
 they increase the value of products; they
 save time, labor and money; they are
 the initial sources of commerce. which
 swell in great streams and flow every
 where, distributing the products of our
 fields, forests and factories. The high
 ways are the common property of the
 country their benefits are shared by all
 and they are needed by all thei' benefit
 all, and all should contribute tA them.
 What fair minded man will say thst tho
 people who live on the public roads should
 be required to build and keep them in
 repair, for the use of the general public?
 They could not if they were willing. The
 burden is more than they could bear. No
 government on earth has ever enjoyed
 good roads where compulsory labor is re-
 lied on to build and maintain them.
 The effects of good roads reach every
 body. Both city and country share in
 their benefits. In justice and equity,
 therefore, everybody should contribute 10
 the cost of their construction and man.
 tenance, but an equal distribution of this
 cost carnot be secured under state laws
 and methods of taxation. Our national
 revenues are raised largely from duties,
 paid on consumption, and are thus more
 equally distributed among the people.
 Hence, an appropriation of money from the federal treasury to build and improve our roads would force every consumer to bear proportion of the cost It is not asked that the government bear tie whole cost, but only a part of it; and | this is the only method whereby we may ! hope to secure a national system of inn 1 proved roads, with an equitable distribu- 1 ton of their cost among those sharing
 in their benefits and blessings.
 l What are the savings to be effected by i good roads? Investigations, conducted by the United States office of public roads. 1 and by various state commissions have 1 established that the average cost of haul ing over wagon roads in this country is 20 cents per ton per mile and that the average haul is over miles. The cost of hauling in Europe has, in many eases, been reduced to as low as : cents ger ton per mile, and it has been estab- llshed that good roads will reduce the cost to the farmers to as low as 10 cents per mile in this country. This means q reduction by half of the annual cost of transportation to the farmers It is only
 necessary to consider the fact that the immense tonnage of farm products is hauled over the common roads to the rail-
 road stations to realize what a tremend-
 ous saving is possible when we reduce the cost of transportation even 12is cents per ton per mile. The importance of this
 saving is all the more evident when we compare the cost of hauling on wagon
 roads with the cost of rail and water transportation.
 Roads and Freight Rates. In 1906, the average freight rsste by rail was a little over seven one-thousandths nf tOp @ sal i year. the mean ocean freight rate on ], wheat, corn and rye from New York to ] Liverpool a distance of 3l00 miles, a little more than sl per ton,' or three ten 1 thousandths of a cent per ton per mile. | Thus we see that railroad and water , transportation rates have been continually reduced until they have reached a mar vellously low figure, while the cost of l transportation over our common roads has remained practically unchanged for more than a generation and will continue so until we can inaugurate some national system If improving our roads.
 This duty devolves upon our national government. 1t has abundant surplus in the treasury to accomplish this purpose. and how better could this surplus be used? It has the money and can afford it. while the states and the people hay, not the money. and cannot afford it. Why allow our national revenues to lie idle III the banks, when they might be stimulat- lag our internal improvements, and giv- ing employment to thousands of the un- employed?
 Mir President, the amendment 1 have offered does not increase the amount of
 the appropriations made in the postoffice bill. It merely proposes to divert from the sum appropriated for the rural de- livery service the small amount of s500.- GOO, to be used as provided in the amend
 ment. I do not undertake to lay down any rule, or prescribe any of the details
 by which the money may be expended. It
 is proposed to leave that to the co-opera-
 tion of the postoffice and agricultural authorities. They were selected in order to have the benefit of the experiments
 that have been made by the good roads division of the agricultural department, and the experience and knowledge of the rural delivery division in the postoffice department The methods and means of putting into operation the rural delivery
 service was left to the postmaster general and so were sthe means of putting into effect and operation the irrigation system 1 left to the interior department.
 Effect of Improvement.
 This appropriation seeks to ascertain practical demonstration of the effect of road improvement in the rural delivery
 service in cooperation with the states and counties. and the benefits and ad- NantaSeS 10 the service Dy reason or tue improvement. l do not believe any effort as to details in the execution Of this plan could be prescribed by law.
 number of states, under their con- stitutions. are not permitted to make ap- propria tions for road construction and maintenance. The state of Alabama Is in this situation; but the last legislature, realizing the great importance of public roads, and the inadequacy of present methods to improve and maintain them submitted an amendment to the consti- tuition. authorizing appropriations for road construction, which will doubtless be