The Washington herald., 1908-07-09
AT THE HOTELS.


mobiles. and who is in this city on busi-
ness. Is at the New Willard. Speaking
OF road improvements. Mr.. Friel said yes
terday that II good roads were provided
so the farmers could have the benefit Of
easy hauls to market and TO shipping
points. the union Of many such roads
would make the highway for pleasure
also.
The State OF New York is going into
the matter in a systematic way" con-
tlnued Mr.. Friel at is to have a good
roads commission Of three members. with
sufficient salary to attract efficient men.
1t is proposed to build 1882 miles Of main
State roads, at an outlay Of 100000 An
additional amount OF the same size is 70
be used in cooperation with counties. dol
lar being appropriated for dollar In such
work. In other words. II is planned 10
spend $90,0O0.000 under systematic plans
for the improvement Of the highways OF
the State. Some Of the roads are % be
trunk lines. Others are to be feeders 10
the main stem While the figures are
large, they do not begin TO represent the
loss which has been borne by farmers
In many years because Of the expense OF
hauling the crops 10 market or TO rail-
road stations.
The outlay will prove q blessing, not
only to the people Of the present genera
ton, but 10 those OF coming years. Once
built on scientific plans and with honesty
Of construction. the expense Of mainten-
ance and repair need not be a serious
drain. II other States were 20 take UP
the subject in the same spirit as that
usnf fah 10 nj frf ,-4-
highway across the country would be
realized without any consideration OF the
constitutional power Of the government
20 construct roads OF the sort and with
out any fear on the part Of the States Of
the encrOaChments OF the central au-
thority.
NO one doubts that roads VIII come in
time. The New York interest may hasten
the consideration Of the subject by the
| legislatures Of other Commonwealth"
Did 1t ever occur to you that the
American farmer IS practically disfran-
chised. 50 fa- as his being represented in
the national legislature is concerned?"
said William +. Hughes, a farmer Of St.
/ Paul MINI, at the National last night.
The great agricultural States OF Penn
D
souri,, Indiana. Illinois. and Iowa are
/ practically without a Representative who
! might be called a plain. everyday farmer.
/ and who knows something about farming
This is contrary TO the eternal fit
/ ness OF things. and should be changed
Neither Of the. two great political par
/ ties IS TO blame for this condition OF
\ things. The fault lies et the door OF
/ the farmer. and K is a sad comment
| on the agricultural voter. His mistake
\ Is In not being at the caucus or the
/ primary Of the political party 20 which
\ he belongs. In not recognizing re fact
/ that when the local caucus adjourns the
! doors are closed. he is in honor bound 10
/ support the candidate and 10 accept the
I situation. He has no redress except
/ 10 bolt the ticket Of his party. He should
/ have spent the short time required, once
/ or twice each year. in obtaining a good
/ farmer. merchant or professional man
/ TO represent him in the higher councils
! OF his party.
IF Johnson, of Minnesota. were nomI-
| mated as the standard bearer Of the
/ Democratic party. and Chanler. Of New
| York. as his running mate. nothing under
\ the sun could prevent their being elected.
/ But Bryan IS q mistake. He ran twice
and the people lost their bets on him"
David y. Meers. OF Oakland. Cal. is at
] the National Mr.. Meers IS interested in
/ timber lands. and speaking Of the enor-
/ nous seqUoia trees in his State, ne said
] that in the northwest Of California there
! grows a mighty continuous forest of these
/ great trees. and that il takes DAYS %
! travel merely from end 10 end Of that
! forest which is longer than the distance
/ from Boston 10 New York. or from Chi
! cago TO St. Louis.
/ On the ridges and fats OF Humboldt
/ is the forest. continued Mr.. Meers. land
Of that forest the trees grow 10 twenty
six feet IN diameter and tower 800 feet
toward the sky Do you know what those
figures mean? Measure the room in which
you are living. If it is a very large room
the longest dimensions would lust about
contain one Of these great trunks. Look
out OF your window and see the people
more than a city block away. That is IN,
distance from which one sees the topmos
bough OF these giants.
The redwood Of California is the great
tree of the Pacific Coast. Two thousand
I Llf
Checto River. South Of the. Checto a con.
tinuous redwood belt begins. and II In.
creases in width from ten miles in De
Norte County to eighteen or twenty miles
and keeps on unbroken, 70 Humboldt
County. On the slopes, 225 feet is about
! the maximum height. and 10 feet Il,
greatest diameter. while on the fats. IN,
der better conditions. the tree grows L
be $50 feet high, with a diameter Of g
feet, and occasionally giants exceed this
Most Of the redwoods are from 400 10 80
years old The Oldest tree scientifically
measured was /. 400 years. After the ire,
has passed 500 years 1t usually begins I,
die, from the top down Il has
straight. slightly tapered trunk. withou
limbs for more than 100 feet. and a crow
OF horizontal branches that may occup,
a third TO a half its length. The root
strike downward at a sharp angle, an,
are so large and so numerous that the
form a compact mass. The bark is of
reddish-gray color. fbrous in texture
gives TO the full-grown tree a fiuted ap
pearance, and offers such remarkable re
sistance 70 fire that. except under grea
heat Il is not combustible. Insects d
little harm. the wind can scarcely uproo
it. and fungi seldom affect It,"
Speaking of summer vacations and
change Of scene and surroundings" Dr.
Elmer S. Briggs. OF New York. who is q
the Shoreham. said last night that. de
spite the love and interest we bear ou
associates and surroundings. a tim
comes when we grow weary and jaded
. and naturally long for some sort o
change" " We have no desire for sub
stitution of other objects and faces as
; permanency; we merely seek 10 brea,
, the monotony Of things before enterin
on fresh chapter in our lives.
The desire for a change can hardl