The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-10-15
WANT GOOD ROADS
STATE ASSOCIATION HOLDS sEs-
SION IN BIRMINGHAM.


And Representative Burnett--
President Craft Gives Argu-
ments For His Cause. -
More than 400 delegates are present at
the annual convention OF the Alabama
Good Roads Association. which began
two days session in this city this
morning.
The convention is being held in the
Chamber of Commerce. John w.
O'Neill, who Is chairman Of the local
committee, called the convention to
| order. Mayor Frank p. O'Brien de-
iivered an address of welcome In be-
half of the city. J. d. Collins, In behalf
OF the Board of Trade, J. B. Babb for
the Chamber of Commerce. DR.. John
/. Parker. for the Business Mems
League and DR.. ]. e. Dedman for the
Birmingham Motor Club. The re-
spouse was delivered by Hon. John
Craft. Of Mobile, president of the as
ISOLATION.
Speeches were made at the morning
session by United States Senator John
ston, Congressman John L. Burnett
and State Senator John w. Overton.
| who reported for the educational cam
paign committee OF the association.
| Letters OF regret were read by Secre-
tary Asa Rountree from W., W.. Fin
ley. President OF the Southern Raft
way, and b F. Yoakum, chairman Of
the executive committee Of the Rock
Island Railroad. United States Sena-
tor Bankhead. who was on the stand
| today. together with CONGRESSMAN
Underwood. delivered addresses at the
evening session of the convention. A
feature Of the evening was an Illus
trated lecture by Will p. Blair, of
Indianapolis.
President Crafts address was In part
| as follows:
The problem of good roads Is more
largely an economic one. yet IL is In
terwoven with others of social and DO
litical well-being. The greater desire
Tor suburban residences, the increase
of our industries. the publication OF
daily papers. the frequency of mail SER
vice and the demand for rural delivery
the eagerness for knowledge and the
attraction for better schools, churches
and libraries, the demand OF q con-
| stantly increasing market for produce
and food stuffs, keenness OF competi-
ton and trade. these are the social and
industrial factors-some at least. that
are demanding good roads. They are
all woven into an economic aspect and
are seeking satisfaction. The whole
question Is an outcome likewise. There
| is no class of citizenship but what is
benefited directly or indirectly by good
roads. The farmer. that he may come
to the ready market to sell and barter;
the mandatory in a town remote from
the railroad or steamboat or city
should in turn haul fuel and raw ma
terial at an appreciative Iessened cost
and carry his finished product for
transportation, which will be helped by
improving our bad roads. There is
another class as well as the farmer
that Is beneflted-the toiler-who is
helped by low rents within his means,
because suburban living is made pos
the open living are benefited by pure
air and can enjoy other fe-giving ad-
vantages.
There Is no doubt that the abandon
ment of so many farms is due to the
fact of our impossible roads. Many
farms are abandoned homes deserted.
buildings gone to rack and ruin be-
cause the former holders could not
make livelihood due to the fact they
were often stuck in the mud. unable to
transport their products or send their
children to school or their families at
tend church, which was all due to ba !
roads. This illustrates the heavy bur-
den and taxation a bad road Is. and
1t bears alike on all classes of our
citizehs--it makes no difference in
what walks of life they live in.
bad roads are driving the boys and
girls to the over-crowded cities, where
many thousands are eking out mis-
cradle existence because of the I'M
sanitary and concentrating surround
ings, and many of our boys and girls
Il nut Ar tat
II our roads were improved and made
good, these conditions would be
changed and the boys and girls would
remain on the farms where they were
born and reared and develop our great
state. The immigration problem would
be solved and we would have an
abundance of our own blood-kin and
kin-which is the flower OF manhood
| and womanhood and the peer of any
| people in the world and all that is
necessary to change the condition is
that we build system of permanent
highways so that the people of Ais
bama will be encouraged and they will
take inspiration and make their sur
roundings pleasant and cultivate con-
tentment, which Is impossible to have
when the boys and girls are sunk II
| the mud.
Nothing will advance prosperit,
quicker or Will do more TO make thu
people happy and contented. than b!
having the Lawmakers of Alabami
make laws whereby State supervisor
will be made possible and an econo
mic business method inaugurated TO
the construction OF our much neglected
impossible roads. We have above,
this slipshod. unbusiness-like metho
to prevail TO my personal knowledg
for more than. forty years. The sew
eral counties OF the state have ex
pended in labor and money in the las
forty years over es0.ooo.o0o. and witt
few excepticns--and g very few a
that--this vast amount OF labor an
money has been an absolute waste. Th
people OF Alabama are Intelligent an