The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-11-03
]. ]. HILL PLEADS
FOR BETTER ROADS
IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Railroad Magnate Says
1t Means Biggest
Transportation Saving
1T IS LOCAL TASK
Declares Federal Appropria-
ton Would SAVIOR Too Much
of Pork Barrel Graft.

of Pork Barrel Graft.
Aberdeen, S. D.-The first days
attendance at the South Dakota good
roads convention was marred some
what by the fact that a rain in the
morning placed the roads in such
condition that many South Dakotans
who had intended to motor in to the
convention were prevented from do
ing so. However, the hall was we'll
filled when Governor r. s. vessey
called the meeting to order. The
governor made an interesting but
short address, and was followed by
George w. Cooley OF Minneapolis,
state highway engineer of Minnesota
who delivered an able address, illus
trated with stereopticon slides. Last
evening A. E. Chamberlain, state
farmers institute conductor, and j..
n. Dodge, representing the depart
ment of agriculture, spoke, MI. Cham
berlain's subject being "a Greater
South Dakota" and Mr.. Dodge's.
What the Department of Agriculture
is Doing for Good Roads," in which
he told of the experiments carried on
by the department in different sec
tlons OF the country to discover the
best methods of road making for that
particular part of the country.
Today's attendance is expected to
be much larger than yesterdays and
the sessions will continue practically
without intermission except for
meals.
Letter From Hill.
The following letter from James
]. Hill of st. Paul, the great railroad
builder, was read at the meeting to-
day:
Gentlemen: Unavoidable circum-
stances prevent me from taking ad-
vantage Of your kind invitation to at
tend you meeting. But it gives me
pleasure to assure you OF my SYM
pathy with the work in which you
are, interested, and to express my
hope for its success.
Next after the preservation of the
productive power OF the soil. I know
of no material aid to the farming pop
ulation so important as the creation
and maintenance of good. roads.
What the telegraph is to general in
formation and the railroad to COM
merce, that the country highway is to
the agricultural interest. The roads
of any community are like the ner-
vous system of a human body; upon
their condition depend it's health and
growth.
There are more than two million
miles OF roads in the United. States.
We spend on these from $4,000, 900
to 100000 600 a year. Less than 10
per cent of the road surface has been
permanently improved in any way. 1t
that a moderate improvement which
would permit four bales Of cotton to
be hauled at one load instead Of three,
and seventy-five bushels Of wheat in
stead Of fifty-fve, would effect a saw
ins of 100000 on the cost of haul
ing these two crops alone to market.
More Important Than Freight Rates.
THE enormous volume of COM
modi ties that finds either its origin
or its final destination on tn efarm or
IN the village must be transported
over the dirt road, and any toll to
the distractions which that offers to
traffic. The average country high
road makes country life more lonely
and less profitable tina nit should be;
wastes time, wastes labor, wastes
money, wastes life. 1t helps to make
the farm unattractive, promotes the
drift of population city ward, dis
ployment, aggravates almost every
evil that we have come to associate
with modern civilization. The two
c11hicntc ,,r,- 1,1:.1, - " -
arouse public interest today are regu-
lation of freight rates and improve
ment of waterways. Were all that is
desired in either direction accomp-
lished, the result could not be COM
pared in cash value or in its social
effect upon country life with the sub
Improvement of the country
road.
Good roads are expensive; but it
costs more money to do without them
than to build them. The attempt to
improve the highway by the old sys-
TEN of local supervision, small APP
preparations. taxes worked out in
stead of paid in cash, and petty po-
lltical control wastes every dollar SO
expended. Improved highways must
be built under the direction of state
commissions, by the orders of state
engineers, according to scientific
methods. 1t is a bit OF technical en-
gineering, where results will always
be measured by the amount of money
appropriated and the methods en-
ployed.
Opposes Federal Appropriation.
THE thing most to be avoided is
the common error of proposed CEN
tralization, which generally shelters
somewhere the suggestion of a more
or less genteel graft. Congressman
are ready to ask the federal govern
ment for billions to build improved
roads in the states, and appeal to To-
cal greed to support them. This sys-
tenn might easily bankrupt the ma
ton, but it would no more furnish
the people with good roads TINA our
of internal improvements has
given them available waterways. The
president has been compelled to say
the last "pork barrel" has beer
opened. Federal control of highway
improvements would open not a pork
barrel but a slaughter house.
~ 8, ~ -, c.-.A,