The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-05-28
GIVE The NATION
GOOD HIGHWAYS
Don't Prepare For War That is
Not Coming.
VICE PRESIDENT SHERMAN SPEAKS.
In An Address Before The National
Good Roads Congress Mr.. Shcr.
man Urges Development OF In
land Commerce He Believes The
Best Preparation For Possible Fu-
ture Hostilities Is Good Railroads,
Good Canals And Good Roads
Other Addresses.

Baltimore, Md. Especially Give
the nation good highways said Vice
President James s. Sherman, of the
United States, at the National Good
Roads Congress In Mccoy Hall,
Johns Hopkins University, land we
shall be the strongest nation in the
world"
1--WE have been successful at
arms" continued Mr.. Sherman,
when we have had to resort to arms,
and we shall be successful if a re-
sort to arms is necessary. TAp-
plause.] Thank God, we have no
war in prospect. Applause. We
are assured of peace for decades to
come. We are looking TO our com
mercial interests. We are develop
ing our industries. The best way
to develop these industries is to build
improved highways. Give us quick,
easy and rapid transit over the high
ways"
These and other arguments Mr..
Sherman advanced for systematic
improvement of the highways of the
country.
He was most attentively heard
and enthusiastically applauded by an
interested audience, in which, among
others, were Governor Crothers,
Mayor Mahool, Col. w. H. Beasley,
of North Carolina; Mr.. George Ward
Cook, of Boston; Mr.. H: w. McAfee,
of Kansas; Mr.. Jacob w. Hook,
Mayor Harper, of Salisbury, Nd,
and Mr.. Victor Cushwa, of Washing
ton County, Md In the audience
we're two or three hundred public
school children of Baltimore, who
had been invited to be present Vice
President Sherman shook hands with
the children. He patted Nthe boys
on the back and told them that when
they got old enough they might be
United States senators, congressman,
governors, mayors and even vice pres
idents, he said.
Mr.. Sherlnan's Speech.
Col. w. F. Beasley was presiding
when Vice President Sherman enter
ed the hall. There were cheers when
Mr.. Sherman was recognized, and
there were more cheers when he was
introduced.
Here is his speech in FULL
/ did not bring this weather with
me. EApplause.] / am compelled
to return to Washington at once and
to catch a rear car. The witty Irish
man said that the best way to avoid
rear-end collisions is to cut off the
rear car. [Applause.1
T asked Mr.. Jackson what / should
talk about. He said talk about Ave
minutes.
/ am here today to advocate good
roads. was delighted to see your
hard and clean streets as came
to your congress. We are not, how
ever, doing all we ought to do for
our highways. England, Germany,
France, Switzerland and other Euro
pean countries are far ahead of us
in improvement of our public roads.
It is an interesting fact that we sur
pass Europe, and, indeed, the whole
world in our railroad mileage.
We are producing millions upon
millions of bushels of wheat and
corn every year. What is the use
of these vast products if we have
no means of transportation to mar
kets? We have our railroad facili:
ties. Why should we not have hard
public roads as accessories to our
steam railroads and to our steam
boats?
We are producing two-thirds of
the breadstuffs of the world. We
have only one-thirtieth of the ma
tional debts of the world. We are
educating 100000 children in our
public schools every year. Twenty
five years ago England was produc-
ing more steel than we were. Now
we are producing more steel than
England and other European ma
tions.
So great is our country that we
have no means of comparison with
any single country. To demonstrate
our bigness we have to compare our
nation with whole groups of other
nations.