The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-08
THE CAUSE OF GOOD ROADS
North Carolina Editor Tells How to
Secure and the Best Method to
Keep Them Up

The following is an abstract from
an address by Henry B. Warner, edi
tor of the Lexington, N. c., Dispatch
one of the most earnest and consist
ent advocates for good roads in the
south, before the National Editorial
association at New Orleans recently:
Building good roads is the para.
mount issue before the people of this
country Nothing hampers develop.
ment, material, moral or spiritual, SO
much as mud, and nothing could pos
sibly speed development more than
good roads. 1t is idle for me to at
tempt an enumeration of the benefits
good roads confer on people. Ev-
cry man., no matter how unlettered,
instinctively knows that a good road
is far better thing to have than a
bad road. We naturally have it in us
to know the value of and to construct
an easy pathway, but unfortunately
the devil of tax steps in and tempts
us to bear the ills we have rather
than fly to blessings we know of and
greatly desire. Our people all be-
lieve in good roads but there are
some who are unwilling to pay the
cost.
Good roads mean progress and
prosperity and are a benefit to the
people who live in cities, and an ad-
vantage to those who live in the
country.
Like good streets they make hab-
itation along them desirable. You
never, or rarely, and then not for long
see shabby home by the side of a
modern road where everybody passes
and sees how you live. Statistics
prove that in nearly every case the
states having the highest percentage
of good roads show those roads to be
powerful factor in encouraging the
settlement of unused lands. Roads
also have far-reaching influence in
holding men to their farms and in re-
straining them from drifting to the
towns. AS the price of land depends
as much on accessibility to market as
on productivity, it follows that road
improvement by holding people and
attracting others, directly tends to-
ward increase in values of all farm
lands within touch of the improved
highways. 1t is shown that in states
where the average price of land is
less than $40 an acre, the percent
age of improved roads is only 1.8,
whereas, in states where the average
value is more than $40, the lverage
of improved roads is 9 per cent of
the total mileage.
"The present high prices of necessi-
ties. aside from other considerations,
are caused in part by impossible
county roads in all parts of the land
1t costs each year 100000 to
haul the products of the farm to the
market towns, the cost per mile be-
ing twice as much as in Europe,
where they have excellent highways. |
How to Get Good Roads
The question comes, how to get
good roads? Shall we vote direct
tax or shall we issue bonds? Shall
we pay as we go, or shall we pay
part now and let the future genera
lions pay part?
ITO my mind the whole question
comes down to whether we want good
roads now or whether we are willing
to build few miles now and let an
other generation build a few more
and another few more, until in the
course of human events we secure
good roads throughout the nation af-
ter every person now at the age of
accountability Is dead and gone.
county, in my state, has
been building roads thirty years, and
she has added about 208 miles, US
ing direct tax. Guilford county has
been building roads six years and she
has 100 miles, using bonds. We are
too far behind to depend on direct
tax. We must go ahead and issue
bonds, build the roads, increase our I
wealth and reap MANIFOLD the cost ,
Of the roads. I
Should county issue bonds, before I
4 dollar is expended competent civil
should be secured and put [
TO work mapping out the county. He {
should be under either the county g
commissioners or highway commits {
sion, composed of the commissioners r
md other men selected by the peo- i
Die. 1t is absolutely necessary that
IN engineer be employed, even t
.hough he cost considerably salary, r
or the location, construction and d
of roads are operations r
hat no man or set of men without b
he aid of an engineer can conduct
n the proper way to get the best re- d
ults at the least cost. h
THE money raised for roads by b
'onds should be kept intact until it s
las been ascertained exactly what d
ype of road it is best to build. These %
acts can be secured through the aid h
# the national government. The Of D
Ice of public roads stands ready to r.
i've gratuitous advice and supply r,
killed highway engineers who are O
IMPLY qualified to tell what type Of d
Dad would best meet requirements r,
nd to demonstrate those suggestions RI
y supervising the building OF
tretches of model highways, after
'hich local officials may take pat
,rn. When county officials learn to