The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-10-15

tHS SullOI vi lIlS NSW Vi IL
bune on the subject of building
improved highways:
Should the federal government
by a bond issue assist the states to
build public roads? If so, to what
extent? The answers to the above
questions involve the consideration
of several things-hrst, the right
of government to do so. the need
of it, its ability and, last, whether
it is wise policy to adopt. In
the brief space available we must
assume the necessity of good roads;
that their condition affects market
conditions ard thus concerns all
the people, that bad roads are pro-
duCtive of great and preventable
waste that amounts to several dol
lars person year; that one of
the greatest needs for the social
and economic development and
welfare Of all the people is good
roads.
As to the right or power of the
federal government to build or as
sist to build highways, section s
of article I of the constitution says
among other things.
Congress shall have power "to
establish postofices and post
roads"
More than 40 per cent. of all the
highways and most of the main
roads are used for rural mail de-
livery and so are postroads in the
meaning of the constitution.
President Monroe in a message to
congress May 4, 1902, says:
In whatever sense the term 'es-
tablish" is applied to postoffices it
must be applied in the same sense
to post roads.
Cooley in his book on constitu-
tional law says:
Every road within a state, in
Guiding railroads, canals, turnpikes
and navigable streams, existing or
created within a state, became a
post road whenever by action of
the postoffCe department provision
is made for the transportation of
the mails upon or over it.
The above is deemed sufficient
TO show the government has the
unquestionable right to improve
highways used for rural mail de-
livery,
Article I, section 8, clause l,
provides in part: The congress
shall have power to lay and collect
taxes, duties, imports and excuses
to pay the debts and provide for the
common defense and general wei
fare of the United States"
Is not highway Improvement for
the general welfare?
On March IA, 1918, the house of
representatives passed the follow
ing resolution:
Resolved, That congress has
power under the constitution to
appropriate money for the con-
struction of post roads, military
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
millions on the old Cumberland
road and number of military
roads, establishing a precedent.
The public roads of nearly every
civilized country in the world
have been built in whole or in
part by its general government.
1t is the only plan that has ever
succeeded. 1t is the world prece-
dent.
AS to the need for better high
ways no argument is necessary.
The general government is ex-
pending SIS, 900 year on
rural delivery. According to Sen
ator Bankhead of Alabama, the
postoffice department estimates
that uniformly good roads would
mean longer routes, more regular
service and saving of 20 per cent.
in the cost. Thus the loss to the
postoffce department due to bad