Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-06-06
GOOD ROAD CAMPO |GA
Policy of Construction Favored
by the National Grange. /
GOVERNMENTS AID WANTED
Farmers Ask For National Highway
Commission and For Federal APj
preparations to Improve and Main
tain Public RoadNays. V1''.'sc

H. ~ - 81 .-s r
The national grange, an; organrizafi
ton of farmers in twenty-seyen states,
with an aggregate membership of near
H ly 100000 members, has for q NUNS
her of years. advocated the enactment
by congress fof legislation icreating a
national highways commission and
making liberal appropriations for. the
Improvement of the public roads Dur
ing the past year the grange has peri
fected. plans for conducting "a wider
| spread,s systematic. educational CAM
| paign for the purpose, of showing the
urgent necessity for the adoptionl of a
broad, comprehensive policy of public
highway Improvement by the various
| township, county and state authori-
ties and to induce the national govern
ment to lend its assistance to a move
| ment] intended to secure the establish
ment of a complete system of property
constructed roads in all sections Of the
| United States. .''2-1.cdf 1921 ,2i2t
Tt is cohtended by the members of
| the grange that the Improvement of
our highways is fully as deserving
of federal appropriations as is the
Improvement of our waterways and
that the work of the proposed national
highways commission would greatly
stimulate the construction of better
roads by the various states counties
| and townships The splendid road sys-
| TEN of France, admitted to be the best
| in the world, is declared to be due
chiefly to the road policy of the French
national government, under which a
corps of. highly trained engineers plan
and direct the work of constructing
and maintaining the principal roads of
that country.
The deplorable condition of Nmost of
the roads in the United States. prob
ably the worst in any civilized coun-
try, is generally recognized and it is
urged by the grange that it is high
/ time that action should be taken by
the national government to bring or
der out Of the existing chaotic eondi-
\ tons and substitute a scientific policy
4 of road construction and improvement
\ for the haphazard. methods which now
prevail to so large an extent. i9af sdl
\ 4 The following resolutions, dnani-
\ m0uslk adopted by the National
grange give the point of view from
which the farmers regard the question:
Of federal aid to public road improve
ment: a.51ls1 oaf - - ffi3foa 3fija =
i Whereas The improvements Of the high
Il ways, of thei country is a matter of gen.
II eral public concern and should property
Il receive the attention and assistance of
the national government; and ~ y 3h'
Il ,, Whereas, The revenue raised by taxes
II paid by the people of the country as al
II whole, should be devoted as far as possi1
II Bile to purposes (which. viii benefit the
greater number Of the Taxpayers in all
sections of the country; and l ma ~ !
II s. Whereas, No argument can be advanced
in favor of the annual appropriations by
Il congress on behalf of river and harbor
i improvements that Idoes not apply even
more, strongly to the Improvement Of our
| public, roads, therefore, :, ~
i Resolved, That the national grange fa1
vors a general policy of good roads cont
struction' by the various municipalities,
counties and states; and, -r,
Resolved That we favor the immediate
enactment of legislation by congress maxi
ing liberal federal appropriations for the
| Improvement of the public highways of
| the country, these appropriations to be
expended in such manner. as congress
may prescribe f; fai.iaf.l 3l} l,giiI /
7 House bill 1881, introduced in cont
gress on Jan. 80, 1908, by Hon. Frank
I'D! Currier of New Hampshire whidh
emBodies the Lviewsl of the national
grange on this subject, provides for
the creation of a national highways
commission and for the construction,
Improvement and maintenance of pub
lie highways 1t differs from the nut
merous bills on that subject now pend
ing before congress in that it provides
for the direct expenditure of the pro-
posed appropriation In road Iconstfuc-
ton and Improvement by the national
government acting; in lco-operatiOn
with the state highways commission or
other authorities having supervision of
the public roads. The amount of the
APPROPRIATION stated in the bill ist $780,
1000 600, ito be made available at the
rate of 100000 a year, of which at
least 100000 is to be expended in each
state at the rate of not less than $780,
600 annually.
The members of the grange and the
farmers in general in all sections of
the country. are vigorously demanding
the enactment of this bill, and tits be-
lieved' that it will become law in the
near future. III
Under the provisions of house bill
Is, SST it will be possible for the: ma
tional highways commission to apply
the appropriations provided for in that
measure TO the construction, improve
ment or maintenance of any public
road in any section of the country
since all roads connect with or lead
into some other road used in interstate
commerce 1t is provided in the bill
that the commission shall, as far as
possible, act In cooperation and consul
tation with the authorities having
charge. of the construction and i'm
provement of the lpublie highways of
the several states, and in accordance
with this provision the distribution of
the, amounts appropriated will be gov