The Forrest City times., 1911-08-25

simply because their highways have been in the making for many centuries, whereas We have mighty lew turnpikes that more than hundred or at most two hundred years old. And furthermore on top of the youth of our country In road building there Is the circumstance of the
 tremendous size of Uncle Sans domain No wonder the Europeans have been able to have good roads when half or twothrds as many peo- pie as We have in this whole vast country have been contributing their work and their taxes to keep up the roads in a territory no larger than one of our medium size states.
 But for all the lead given by time and the ad. vantage of dense population 1t looks as though we would overtake our cousins overseas in the matter Of the possession of good roads Indeed even now In some states such az sections of Massachusetts there roads as fine as any thing Of similar character the other side of the big pond. The secret of this boom in road building in America lies In organization as well as agitation and the country is likely to see new fruits from both during the middle week of Sep tember when Good Roads Week will be held throughout the United States. This week of
 missionary work is expected 10 stir up good ly share of our people the question of good roads and 1t is hoped that some of the new con- verts and the old will that week practice what they preach to the extent of lending hand to the building here and there of stretches of model road" that will serve as convincing object lessons.
 Good Roads Week" is going to be held in con. necuon with the first annual convention of the American Association for Highway Improvement which will be held at Richmond, Va and will be addressed by many of the most prominent men in the country. This national organization will of course. be much in the public eye in this con neetion, but il Is only one of scores of associa. tions great and small that have been helping in this cause. There are state organizations and county organizations and even township oreani- cations all over the country that have been SUD- porting national st nd ments in what they have been doing for better roads, and the results attained prove what can be accomplished when large number of people who are very much in earnest set out to all pull to- gether toward desired goal
 A good many people who have not looked yerv deeply into the subject have gained the idea that the motorists are more largely responsible than any other class of people for this dawning era of good roads. Now. il would net be right to dis parage what the automoblsts have done which has been considerable in one way or another but in the interest of the truth 1t must be pointed out that the factor supreme in influence for better roads has been the wideawake farmer To be sure il is fact and mighty significant one that the largest and most powerful corporations in the country-husiness interests such as our biggest railroads and the steel trust and the Standard Oil corporation-are working enersetic. ally with the American Association for High. way Improvement because they realize that any. thing that will help the condition of the country at large Will help their business At the same time 1t is the farmer class that are supplying the backbone Of this movement just they are of every other big movement affecting rural condi- tions and have been from time out Of mind
 IL is just well to admit right here too that the average farmer who is going In hard for the cause of better roads is devoting his time and his labor to the project on any fancful sentiment al basis. Of course. it contributes o his pride to see his farm bounded or bisected by splendid road and he is gratiied that the good folk who go past his dcor pleasure riding should have an easy pathway but the great underlying impetus is found in the need of good roads to enable the farmer market his produce conveniently and economically