Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1910-10-06
Mnaon None. nnd IlnIIronds.

NhIun hhlts~ NHu hNllfouu's
! l}y Associated Press
Oklahoma city. October 5.--B. +.
Nonkum chairman, ST. Louis & san
| Francisco Railroad Company, deliver
ed AN address on Farmers Day at the
, oklahoma state Fair today His sub
Jcct was Wagon Roads and Rail-
roads Mr Yoakum said
There h net much new 10 be said
on the value of good roads TO agricul-
ture aud commerce. Eevery farmer
who hears me knows that the neces-
sity for country roads is as old as
! farming Itself a good farm away
, from railroad or public road IS al
, most as Improbable as without wat
cr. II Is hard 90 understand why
Americans who have been so enter
prsing IN other things, should be
d backward in making good country
roads There has been disposition
to use "bull strength" and haul farm
products over bad roads regardless
of expense
coed roads add greatly to the
profits and comforts of farmers, but
knowing so and saying so do not pro-
dicc good roads. they viii have TO,
be made, An talk and no work viii
not make your roads Go at II with
the same determination you would TO
dig ditchcs or build fences
"a iarmer in Crawford County Mo-,
hus his fhoiCo of hauliag to either of
Two statiOns--onc two miles away
with poor road, and the other four
miles awHl with "A good road lie
can drive the four miles In less time
and haul larger loads Good roads
cut the time to murket In half and
double the value Of farm property.
You cant make as good an invest
ment In any other way and the state
and general public should and Will
aid you II you go about II IN the right
manner
MANY can remember that "A few
years ago one of the important issues
of this country WAS whether we
should have free public schools Ali
admitted the value of them. but a good
many closc-dstcd men thought we
were getting along well enough with
out them and therefore there was
no use In paying out money 10 edu-
cate the masses. II seems now al
most unbelievable that the proposi-
ton 10 educate the masses free
should ever have been seriously op-
posed. In earlier days II was an eX-
ception 10 nnd among the poorer
classes one who could read now II Is
an exception 10 find among them one
who cannot read.
Western progress Is making new
conditions. only a few years ago the
rich lands of Oklahoma, 80 far as
farming purposes were concerned.
were as far from American markets
as II they had been located in South
America II was railroad construc-
tion that placed these lands IN touch
with commerce. and IL Is the public
road that places the farms In touch
with the railroads Railroads were
constructed rapidly and people came
10 oklahoma In great numbers. Ran
roads made this great Development
possible, Good wagon roads are now
needed 10 make N more profitable
and 10 aid the states growth
Farmers do not get the use OF
their share Of the money earned IN
the United states. There are now
about 92 million people In the United
States and about 2S million are
farmers and their families. The pro-
ducts Of the farms are responsible
for more than 0ne-third Of the wealth
and commerce Of the country No
ono can say that onc-third Of this
the country districts. Compare
country roads. fun Of mud holes, with
improved town streets Look qt the
country wooden bridges and at town
vladucts aud steel bridges The
cities have gone In debt for streets to
the extent of millions aud hundreds
of millions. The farmers have not
used their share of the money and
credit for doing the things that help
them They have borrowed but little
money TO make their roads compared
with what the town people have bor-
rowed 10 make their streets comtort-
able and cheap 10 haul goods over
"Tho value oi farm land Is fixed by
ITS nenruess 10 railroad. Almost Al
of the nrst-class farm lands immcdi-
atcly along the railroads Ia Oklahoma
are now under cultivation or held for
high prices because Of their conVc-
nionce to the railroads, With no
more new railroads being constructed
il hrlngs the farmers and landowners
whose lands are incpuVeniently To-
Gated face to face with the question
as To whether such lands are TO re-
man unalable, idle and undoveloped
II is not only q question as TO wheth-
er tho people ot oklahoma VIII take
hold of the Improvement of public
highways. but also "A question as 10
whether oklahoma is going TO show
tho marvellous growth for the next
ton wears which Il has In the past. or
hc content TO go on rs at present.
with a slow growth along Its exist
ING railroad tracks " Oklahoma ~
~. a. nn6,,nd 10 tho lands which arc