The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-01-07
.,-obilists and Farmers Working
A" Tocetber IN Good Roads Cause
oaraSS i'm Year Just Ended.

.,r.obilists and Farmers Working
Amorotber III Good Roads Cause
progress inn Year just Ended.
>orar before in the history of the
MI states, perhaps not in the
Uhl ia has there been such widespread
Noa ros+ and practical activity. w for
ILL., IN roads conventions that have
guy held during the last year have
pee remarkable not only i'm number
peeH n the results accomplished. In
Dut South sentiment for improved
tle has crystalized into definite
nl Fan in most cases being led by the
Governors and leading State officials.
Wanv miles Of new roads are now
o I to be built, hundreds OF miles
"a ready under Improvement and
aannbctantial appropriations have been
snted by scores Of counties and town
Sn TlTonventions have been held in
1onisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee,
Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina
va Georgia. On the Pacific coast
s Sll had the first conference of
sood builders;, the American Road
Takers' Association held its sixth
onnual convention in Columbus;
Cleveland was the scene Of the second
annnaI Good Roads Convention which,
arganized the previous year by the
1noorican Automobile Association In
HE convention in Buffalo, il now
sunnorted by the National Grange, the
United States Office of Public Roads,
MANY of the farmers clubs OF the
country and every other body actively
st work in the good roads propagan-
IA II has been year of good roads
conventions, and the meetings already
manned for the coming year indicate
that the good roads agitation will
roach a higher standard of efficiency
in 1910 than ever before.
The much maligned automobile has
nlaved an important part in this great
rovement for serviceable highways.
once regarded as the enemy Of roads,
and in some measure of mankind, the
benefits of the motor driven vehicle
are now acknowledged as of inestima-
HE value If the automobile aroused
discussion and criticism by destroy
ing the roads considered good enough
for the last generation it is now wide
" recognized as the forerunner Of bet
ter roads. 1t has forced the road
builders and engineers to deal with
new problems, the Old systems Of con-
struction has been revo1utionized and
the methods of proper maintenance
are being studied with more care.
On this subject George @. Diehl,
chairman of the Good Roads Board Of
the American Automobile Association,
said at one Of the recent conventions
"A great deal has been said about
automobiles running the roads. Auto
mobiles do disintegrate the water
bound road, but the interesting fact is
that automobiles have come to stay.
1t is only a question Of time when the
automobile will be used i'm hauling farm
products Then when we have ar
rived at the question of proper road
construction we can say that the au-
tomobile not only solves the problem
of rapid travel, but has also solved
the problem of road maintenance"
As a contrast to the automobilists'
point of view it il interesting to see
the farmers attitude of the present
day The time was, and not SO very
long ago, when the farmer and the au-
tomobilist were supposed to be at
cross purposes. To large extent
they were, but this is now ancient
history. T. c. Laylin, master of the
Ohio State Grange, voiced very forci-
bly, the agriculturists' point OF view
on this question at the convention in
Cleveland, by saying =
although the question of road i'm
provement is of direct interest to the
residents of our towns and cities it Is.
and always must be, one of prime i'm
portance to the farmers. BY far the
greater mileage of our roads is located
in the farming districts and the chief
use of these roads is by the farmers
in getting their products to market
and for social intercourse with their
neighbours While we join with our
friends, the owners of automobiles,
in the discussion of plans for the ad-
vancing of good roads movement, we
of the Ohio State Grange believe that,
in spite of all that is said or done,
this will remain a farmers question,
and to be settled rightly must be set
tied in accordance with the wishes of
the farmers"
And as the farmers of the Western
States are becoming enthusiastic au-
tomobile owners, realizing the bene-
fits of the self-propelled vehicle for
purposes of economy, pleasure and
business, they are virtually looking
upon the good roads problem In the same
light as the automobilist, and withthese
two forces Of the country working in
harmony great changes for the ma
tional good are certain to result.
In mileage the United States has the
greatest system OF roads which any
country has possessed since the world
began. According to a careful road
census, the length Of all our roads is
approximately 2,155,O00 miles. The
annual expenditure On these roads is
approximately $90,00O,000.
Road administration has been placed
on practical basis in about half the
States of the Union, including the New
England States, New York, Pennsyl-
vania New Jersey, Delaware, Mary
land, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio.
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mime
sofa, Missouri. Kansas, California and