Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-08-03
GOOD ROADS TO
REDUCE RATES
SUITABLE IMPROVEMENT or
HIGHWAYS WOULD
SAVE $1oo,ooo,Ooo.
DIFFICULTY OF APPoRTIoNING
BURDEN OF cosT-GoVERN-
MENT AID PROPOSED.

Niagara Falls, July 3O.-Before the
national good roads congress yester-
day Martin Dodge was the principal
speaker.
4 desire to call attention to a
fact not sufficiently understood, and
that is that the local freight rates for
the short haul on the railroads are
in many cases but little less than the
high rate of transportation by animal
power" said Mr. Dodge. ut is well
understood that the low rates prevail
ing by water routes diminish the rail-
road rates on the long haul more
than interstate laws of commissions.
II should also be understood that a
suitable improvement of our highway
system will diminish the short maui
rate by more than half Reliable es-
Inmates in this respect show that
s100,0O0,000 could be saved annually
to the people of the United States, by
this reduction.
"All plans and propositions hereto
fore advanced for the solution u ais
great and difficult question lave been
met in the first instance ~ the OBJ
lection that the pre- noters were
seeking to put a burden upon the peo-
Pile Now it should be understood
that the desire and purpose is not to
put a burden on the people, but to
remove at least a part of the burden
already resting upon them by reason
of the excessive cost of transporta-
ton by animal power over the com
mon roads. Nature has already put
the burden upon us, and we mus ro-
move it by our own enterprise and
cooperation. 1t is not matter for
private enterprise nor yet for local
enterprise unaided by the strong arm
of the United States.
THE composite nature of our gov
eminent makes it difficult for us to
apportion the burden so that it shall
rest justly on all, but not too hardly
upon any. There are three great in
terests which ought bear a portion of
the cost of building and maintaining
public highways; the local interest,
the state interest, and the national
interest If the cost of construction
should be divided equally between
these three it would correspond to
the composite nature of our govern
ment and also would bear equitably
upon the financial resources of all the
interests concerned.
There is sort of tradition of the
elders to the effect that there is some,
how or other a constitutional limita-
ton on the power of the general gov
eminent to expend money for the i'm
proyement of the highways This was
never so. Millions upon millions are
being appropriated for these internal
improvements, except the highways
which need it most. The people ap-
prove of these expenditures. 1t should
also be noted in this connection that
no executives has voted any bill pro-
viding for internal Improvements
since General Arthur was president,
and we need have no apprehension as
~ ANA tLASA NCJOGS III ILLS i6SD6CIs
1T is not proposed, however, to re,
vive the policy which prevailed when
the national road was built, because
that involved a change of jurisdiction
from the state and local authority to
the national authority. This is unde-
sirable. would probably be 1nequitable.
But the proposition is to extend the
principle of state aid so as to include
national It'd to the extent of one-third.
or possibly One-half of the cost of con-
struction. At the same time we
should leave the jurisdiction undis-
turbed as it is in the hands of the
state and local authorities. The aid
given by the general government
should be of a contributory nature
only available, however, on condition
that the states or civil subdivisions
therein should contribute their pro-
portion. The local authorities should
initiate all proceedings. The matter
of construction and expenditure of the
money should remain as now with the
state or local authorities. and the SUI
premacy of the state in its legal juris-
dipriOn Shonld he 1Inheld and remain