The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-02-18

the clothing and feeding OF persons
sentenced TO the iails. which, hereto
fore was an expense without returns.
The health OF the prisoners has
been much better on the roads than
in the jails. Professional criminals,
who did not object to Jail incareera-
ton where they could lead IL lazy
life, fed and clothed by the State.
have been restrained from the com
mission of crimes when they realized
that this easy life has now departed
and conviction means work. Thus
in all directions this policy has been
productive of good to the State, and
it should be continued and further
extended.
| have always insisted that All
ideal system OF road improvement
and construction consists i'll Federal,
State and local aid. The Federal
government has "A monopoly in the
transmission of the mails; its mail
routes extend to all sections OF the
country The extension of the rural
delivery has greatly increased. AZ
the carrying of the mails is a Tunc-
tion of the Federal government, it is
Interested in the roads over which
its mails must be- carried. The better
the road the cheaper will be the price
ut which mail will be carried; the
better the route over which the rural
carrier delivers mail the greater the
territory over which he can go and
the more people he can serve. Thus
economy in Federal administration
will be greatly increased by good
public roads. If the Federal gov
ernment would exp End large part
of the money now given for service
in its star routes and over its rural
routes for the Improvement OF the
roads it would result in great saw
ing to the government. While the
Federal government could spend
large sums of money in this direction
and make a saving, it would in ad-
ditiOn have the result and benefit Of
increased values and material de-
velopment of it's citizens There is
no constitutional objection to the
Federal government materially aid
ing in road construction and i'm
prOvement. Besides, the Federal
government spends millions OF dol
lars each year in the Improvement
OF rivers and harbors to aid those
who use water transportation. This
has resulted in great benefits to
those who have the advantage OF
water routes.
EQUAL BENEFITS FOR ALL.
Now large sections of our country
have not and will never have means
of water transportation. These sec
tiOns must depend on their public
roads for travel and transportation
to the rivers and the railroads. The
people occupying these sections con-
tribute their part of the taxes for the
support of the Federal Government,
and justice and equality demand
that the public roads, which are the
only means OF transportation these
people have, should be equally i'm
proved along with the rivers and
harbOrs, which furnish transporta-
tiOn to other sections. The Jeffer-
sonian doctrines. Equal burdens
should bring equal benefits" strong
ly applies in this case The day is not
far distant when the Federal Govern
ment will be compelled to extend
substantial aid in this direction.
The people of the inland sections
should organize and demand
it. A sensible. practical and fair
plan can be easily devised. Rural de-
livery, with all of its advantages will
compel this.
| was q member of congress and
member of the postotfice committee
which made the first small appropria-
tion of $4,000 for rural delivery.
l was an earnest advocate of it. l
can recall wildly the ridicule to
which it's advocates we're subjected
in the departments and by the ultra
conservative element of the country.
The department first refused to ma Ike
the experiment with the appropria-
ton. 1t was only used by the de-
partment when compelled to do SO
by positive directions. AS soon as
the experiment was made it was
found complete success. 1t grew
SO sorapidly that in the few years it b as
been in existence it has penetr ated
every portion of the country, and
there are now more than tn irty
thousand routes.
If these routes should be abolis he'd
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