The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-24
But Few Were Left to
Form Factions on
Closing Day.
NO HARMONY
ON FEDERAL AID
Despite Disclaimers, Road Men
Divide and Hold Separate
Meetings, Page Not Being
Informed as to Action.
Say Page Dodgcd
Issue.

When the Good Roads Congress came
to an end yesterday those delegates
who had remained In the city for the
last session were in two camps.
In one room the American Assoc:a-
ton for Highway Improvement was
holding n meeting. clecting officers
for the coming year. All resolutions
1avorinS Federal appropriations for
road building werc barred there.
In another room. ifty or more dele
gates 10 the congress- met and formed
what they termed the legislative COM
mittee OF the Good Roads Congress-
pledged themselves unaltcrably to ask
the Federal Congress to appropriate
Tor highway Improvement and named
one delegate from each State repre-
scented In the Richmond convention 10
join the National Aid Conference In
Washington OH January Ii.
When the newly elected officers of
me American Association for Highway
Improvement emerged from their ses-
sion and learned what the delegates
Had done they were amazed.
i'ugc In Ignornncc.
Logan W. Page. director of the Of
fee OF good roads in the Department
OF Agriculture, who had Just been re-
elected president OF the Highw<y I'M
proyemcnt Association, declared he
knew nothing OF the action OF the del
egates. Some of the members in turn
charged that President Page had left
The convention III the morning TO avoid
naming delegates o the National Aid
Conference. after resolution provid-
ing for that action had been carried
on the floor.
IT became quite evident that the off,
GERS of the convention were doing their
utmost TO steer clear OF Tho Federal
n1if ian IA 10 4, too. NJ
Federal help. who were AN overHhelni-
Ing inatoriey. were equally determined
To get the plank into the platform.
shown by Election.
one phase OF the fight was reflected
In the personnel OF The list OF new OIL
GERS OF tho Highway Improvement a.
ISOLATION. w. ID. Brown. editor of the
official publication OF tho Rural Free
Mail Carriers Association, was until
yesterday the field organizer for the
Highway Improvement Association.
The mall carriers 1T the convention
voted sol!dly for Federal aid anG
Brown was active In their support.
a. the election yesterday Browns
name was not put on the ticket for
the coming year, and his place was filled
by Charles r. Light, of Martinsburs.
W. Va. strong anti-Fcdcral aid man
When that developed Brown was found
among the leaders Of the delegates who
formed lilt So-calleu legislative COM
mittcc
Tie Western delegates were partic-
ularly put out over the opposition to
Federal aid. and great many mem
bera showed displeasurc that the split
in the convention had become known.
Some went SO far as to natly deny that
there had been cny division OF opinion.
This attempt proved q fiat failure, for
during the last two days Cf the con-
NeTtiOn tho disEpnSion became so
cral and was aired so freely in the
hotel lobby that II became anything
but secret
Officers Elected.
At the annual meeting of the Amer
lean Association for Highway I'm
provement, under the auspices of which
the present congress was held. all OF
tho major officers were reelected, as
follows: President, Logan Waller
Page. Washington: Vicc-President, w.
G. Brown, New York; Treasurer, Lee
McCIung. Washington; Secretary, j. E.
Pcnnypacker. Jr., Washington, and Or
ganizer. Charles P. Light, Martinsburg,
w. Va.
AS Il result of the election eight
changes took place in the directorate.
The new directors are: Archibald H.
Houston. Columbus, o.: L. L. johnson.
Roanoke. Va: w. I. Beatty, Chicago;
Thomas G. Norris. Phoenix, Ariz. J.
Hampton Moore. philadelphia: Colonel
Il. Coleman DUPONT, Wilmington, Del.
j. j. Duff, Washington. and Colonel
Robert p. Hooper. Philadelphia.
Legislative Committee Organized.
The Legislative committee, created
by the resolution of the congress to
proceed with plans for enlisting Fed
-eral d In the Improvement of high
ways. effected an organization, with
these officers: Chairman, B. II. Yoa-
kun: Merchantmen. w. w. Finley,
Jesse Taylor. and one vice chairman
each from the National Changers and
Farmers Union. the presidents of the
respective organizations; Secretary, w.
ID. Brown. editor II. i. D. News, Wash
ington; and Treasurer, Clark Hudson,
of Oklahoma City.
The committee decided to meet in
Washington January 1917 and draft
a resolution in conformity with the
national aid demands of the congress
which appointed 1t. for presentation
10 the agricultural committee OF the
House of Representatives.
Convict Labor.
Contracting the convict labor of Vir-
Sinia to private shoe companies re-
ceived Its third denunciation from the
platform of the Road Congress yester-
day. Charles 7. Lassiter. member of
the Legislature Of Virginia. in an i'd
dress on the use of such labor In road
building. advocated. the abrogation of
the practice as soon as the existing
contract permits. and stated In so many
words that a constructive plan, formu-
lated in 1908 to put more convicts to
work on the public roads OF the State,
was killed by lobbyists for the shoe
company and other hostile interests.
who succeeded in getting tho authori-
ties to execute n contract to hire from
500 to 1000 OF tho able bodied prison