The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-08-12

Jacksonvllle-Copltal Route
will be Established Although
Middle or Piedmont Route
Has Been Selected as First
Choice-Reasons Why.
News and Observer.
Some months ago the New York
Herald and the Atlanta Journal an
nounced that they would send out
scout cars to select an automobile
route from New York to Atlanta via
Philadelphia, Staunton, Greensboro,
Salisbury, Charlotte Spartanburg
The editor of the News and Observer,
who happened to bein New York city
when the plan was consummated,
suggested to Mr. Cohen, of the Allan
ta journal, who had originated the
idea that the real route should go
through Richmond, Raleigh and
Columbia and be the Capital-to-Cap-
ital route. The other plan had been
tentatively adopted, but the Journal
Herald party accepted the suggestion
to send scout cars over tie Capital
| tO-Capital route, and leave the final
| fixing of the route till after the trip
had been made. The original idea
was the Piedmont route, and the
Herald and Journal announce that it
has been selected. This was expected.
The Capital-to-Capital route is the
one that will be most popular to
winter tourists, as it goes through
| Pinehurst, Southern Pines and the
South Carolina resorts. and ii the
tourists went on to Florida they
would not 90 to Atlanta. The wide
awake Atlanta editor saw the danger
that his city might be side-tracked in
the Capital-tO-Capital route and he
naturally stuck to his original plan.
That decision merely means that
these two papers will throw their in
fluence to having a route from Allan
ta to New York that will 90 through
the Piedmont section. 1t will be a
good route, and the people along the
line will cooperate to make good
roads all the way.
There has never been any doubt
that there must be two lines through
the South, and in time there will be
three or four The route that will
| be most travelled will be the good
route that takes the tourists through
Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia, Pine
hurst. Aiken, Augusta, Savannah
and Jacksonville. Several weeks ago,
seeing that the New Y ork and Atlanta
papers would stick to their original
Piedmont line, the editors of the Rich
mond Times-Dispatch, Washington,
d. c., Post, and Raleigh News and
| Observer arranged for a conference
to be held early in the fall to complete
arrangements for the Capital-tO-
Capital route. The New York Her.
aid, in announcing its decision, has
the following to say about the ad-
vantage of the Capital route:
There is no gainsaying the advan-
| tages of the Capital route for a touring
highway in the superior hotel facilities
afforded by such cities lying within its
itinerary as Baltimore, Washington,
Richmond and Raleigh. The superb
stretches of new roadway in the vicinity
of Southern Pines and Pinehurst. n. e..
impression on the minds of the good
roads scouts That these roads are such
perfect models of what Southern high
ways may be made by the proper combi
nation of white clay and sand is due
chiefly to the enterprise and public
spirited activity of Leonard Tufts, the
proprietor OF the Pinehurst resort.
"A fatal obstacle to the selection of the
Capital-to-Capital route, however as the
line for a national highway is the almost
impossible character OF the roads be
tween Richmond and Washington Along
the old WarrentOn turnpike, the natura
highway between the capital of the ma
ton and the capital of the Old Dominion
so little has been done since Civil Wal
days by way of betterment that the
scouts there encountered some OF the
most arduous experiences of their entire
series of travels. SO bad are some oI
these stretches of rocky roadbed. so hope
less some of those muddy bogs that they
gave rise seriously to the surmise that
they had remained untouched since the
Federal and Confederate artillery cut
them to pieces forty-tive years ago in the
long series of operations between the
Northern and Southern capitals
Not waiting for the general con
ference of those interested in the
Capital-to-Capital route, the Wash,
ingtOn Post and the Richmond Times
Dispatch have sent out scout cars
and are interesting the people between
Richmond and Washington. The
Herald's statement that the Capital
to-Capital route is not feasible be,
cause that stretch of road is not good
enough will be a lesson to the resi-
dents of that section. lnasmuch as
that portion, said, to be the worst,
is a vital link it is gratifying to see
these influential journals that have
contracted the habit of succeeding at
whatever they undertake throwing
themselves into this matter with yea
and enthusiasm. That link will be
made ready. The Columbia State
tells of active work for a splendid
road from that city to Camden. The
praise OF that portion of its road
near Pinehurst is deserved. North
Carolina will not wait for those North
or South to get the road in condi
ton. Its people should lead in the
matter. In this State, except in a few
places, the scout party said the Cap
ital-to- Capital route roads in North
N.sh;ooton,s pIaoue So0fs