The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-14


Good RoedS Association.
ministry takes a vital interest in the
proposition of good roads, especially
the country district to attend Divine
services on account of poor highways.
Stubs Well Received.
Governor Stubs, who gave the adj
dress of welcome, was greeted with
Applause. He said in part:
| 1T is a very great pleasure for me
| to welcome you here for the great
commonwealth of Kansas.
| Transportation is one of the great
problems of the day. It is divided into
the waterways, and the public high
| ways. The railroads were built up be-
cause we had to have them first. Forty
years ago we were building homes and
| settling on The farms.
Now we are doing the things that
are building UP the nation in a social
way as we'll as to give profits. While
| billions of dollars have been put into
been put into waterways and roads. I
believe that you are here today to dis
cuss a problem which will affect the
happiness and welfare of the nation.
Il believe that it is a good invest
ment to build good roads. I think that
We should take common sense view
of the question. A railroad that is
well built pays while one that is not
Well Du1lt docs not pay, and the same
will apply to roads.
People lose a great deal of motive
power in getting their products to
market over poor roads than they need
| to. One man said that he spends an
nually 5000 year in getting his prod
ucts to market, but he figured that if
every man wound spend $50 year in
lettering the roads money would be
saved.
1.-The first thing to do is to drain
1 u g 1Iro
on it drag it. L think that every COM
munity of farmers ought to have a
man on the roads to make them good
to keep them in repair.
when you put this on a business
basis and have good roads in Kansas,
no one would want to go back to the
old condition
ct didn't come here to make a
speech, but to let you know that we
are proud to have good roads con-
vention in Topeka, and to welcome
you. I hope you will all enjoy your
| selves while YOU are here and that you
will talk business right from the
shoulder without any preamble to it
and I hope that you will be in
strumental in getting good roads for
| this and other states
President Jacl<son's Response.
| A response was made by President
Arthur c. Jackson, who is a strong
advocate of national aid. He said:
"It gives me sincerest pleasure to
| be present in this city. The governor
gave some good advice when he said
that he hoped that we would get
down to business at once.
81 shall not dwell at length on any
| of the advantages of good roads. I
sometimes think that it is almost an
insult to tell intelligent person that
good roads are a good thing
81 am pleased to say that we will
have with us tomorrow Governor
Sanders of Louisiana One of the
papers stated that the president of
the national association was lost but
ton to meet big men who might be
persuaded to attend the convention in
Topeka
The speaker then spoke of the
waterways convention in New Orleans
and said that it was the general
opinion at the gathering which in
cluded governors of a great many
states that the address given by Gov
ernor Stubs was by far the best of
all the addresses given.
when so many people have
gathered together from all parts of
the country it is to be hoped that
some tangible action will take place"
continued the speaker.
1T is folly to assume that abutting
property owners should be required to
pay for the good roads. They are
public property and owned by no in
dividual. They are owned by all the
the people.
s'As the public highways are owned
by all the people and should be paid
for by all the people we should have
government aid. There was never
any system built in any land that was
not built by the government For
many years there has been an in
creasing demand for national aid.
You can remember when there was
no rural delivery. When the PROPOSE
ton was first made on the floor of the
house of representatives there was Wig
orous opposition. and the first appro-
priation for expe rimenta1 purposes was
but $4,000. Now it runs into the mil
lions and there are 900 men carrying
the mails. 1t is in the nature of a
luxury.
Suppose the national government
should institute aid for road construc-
ton and improvement. / feel sure that
if work were to begin in every state
by the government in a few years we
would have a magnificent system. 1t is
difficult to see why the people OF the
tied to good roads as the people of
Germany and France.
"A road worthy the name should
reach every farm in Kansas and this
country. If the government would spend
one-half the sum on good roads as it
is expanding for war purposes in times
of peace. / think the people should
object when 81 per cent of the reve-
nues of the country are spent in times
of peace for war purposes. I think
that the people in every state in the
Union should make themselves heard
Il think that 1t will be shown that