The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-08

ntcd by the federal government, and
that the total would be divided among
the states, according to population.
He said the limitation to postal ronds
and rules eliminated any constitutional
objections. The bill would create road
department. consisting of engineers and
capable officials 10 carry out the pro
ject.
Government Should Aid.
''Tbc federal government said Sen
ator Swanson. "should delay no longer
extending to the state and local author
tiles generous aid for road improve
nent. When the federal government
commences to bear its share of the bur.
den of improving public roads, that
duty will mark the beginning of the
end of bad roads in this nation
''Our wealth. Senator Swanson con.
tinued. "is greater today than that of
any other nation: we have become su.
premc in finance and foremost in the
world s commerce; we Surpass In money
expended for primary and general cdu-
cation and mileage of railroads. navi-
gable rivers and improved harbors; the
story of our progress reads more like
romance than history.
Yet, he said. no other enlightened
people in the world are cursed with
such wretched condition of roads,
with more than nine-tenths of the pub.
lie roads and highways in the United
States during rainy seasons almost inn
passable. He said it is estimated that
30 per cent of our internal commerce
(Which exceeds the inter-forcign com
merce of the entire world } must first
or last be hauled over the public
roads,
Bad Roads Expensive.
The average haul of this vast com
merce over the public highways has
been estimated at little more than
nine miles, averaging in cost % cents
per ton per mile, against Z cents in
France and IL cents In England and
Germany. Based on estimates of what
he termed good authorities, improve
ment Of main lines of the system of
roads in this country along methods
adopted abroad. would save in hauling
more than $23 100000 annually to the
people Of the United States. This is
what Senator Swanson calls "the mud
tax paid each year by Americans for
hauling their products over poor roads,
Senator Swanson contended that the
people of the United States should be
treated by the government as generous
" and considerably in the matter of
road improvement as are the people in
the American colonies, for whose roads
the Washington government has appro
priated generously. He said that in his
bill he had endeavored so to safeguard
the federal government that it would
spend no money and incur no expense
except after it had received full value
in improved roads.
The only possibly merItorious claim
for the passage of the Canadian reclpro-
city bill was withdrawn by President
Taft at his recent address In Indianapolis
when he said the bill would not diminish
The cost OF living, declared Senator
Thornton of Louisiana. a Democrat to-
day. In addressing the senate.
Senator Thornton said the farmers Of
the country should not be "bunkoed" by
the enactment of the bill; that the bin
was not Democratic measure. and that
therefore ne felt Tree TO carry out his
pledges 10 the people OF Louisiana in
voting against 1t. even If he did not fol-
low his party in the senate in so doing.
1T could never have been framed by
any Democratic committee" declared
Senator Thornton. FOR no bill that com
bines free trade for agricultural products
with protection for manufactures could
possibly be Democratic +"
lie contended that the bill violated the
great Democratic principle Of equality
but admitted that it would be enacted
into law
Senator Thornton advocated the educ
ton OF duties on shoes and woolen fabrics.