The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-10
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
OF GOOD ROAD BUILDING

The Economic Importance OF Good
Roads was the subject discussed by
Prof r.. M. Dolve at the recent Tri-
State convention. Mr. Dolve said:
/ ''The economic Importance of good
roads appears to me to be so apparent
and selfevident that to any one who has
given the road question any thought
q discussion of this subject must seem
the mere rehearsal Of familiar truisms.
Nevertheless, as long as our roads are
the poorest In Christendom the good
road enthusiast may be pardoned for
so constantly endeavoring TO cali the
attention Of the American people to
this subject. During the past decade
the goods roads propaganda has made
rapid strides and many of the fore
most men in the country have enlisted
their influence and support in it's be-
half Although many miles of good
roads have been built, the advance has
been largely educational, and but lit
tie has been accomplished in the ac-
tual construction of better roads. So
far ii has been a comparatively easy
task to interest a few people in this
question but no far-reaching results
can be looked for until the majority of
the people become enthused and thor
oughly alive to the Importance of the
subject. Then, and then only, will it
be possible to secure through concert
ed action the enactment of better road
laws by which the road laws may be
more efficiently extended and national,
state and county aid secured.
One reason why more has not been
accomplished for the betterment Of
roads is that majority OF the people
remain Indifferent to the subject be-
cause they deem it Of direct impor-
lance to the farmer alone and are
consequently, content to leave to him
the onus of road building. This is a
grave mistake for it may be shown
that people in every walk of life are
interested, peculiarly at least, in the
condition of our country roads, 1t has
been cOnservatively deduced from
governmental statistics that the cost
of living is 10 per cent. higher because
of the toll eXacted by poor roads
through the high cost of marketing
food products and the raw materials
for clothing and other necessities.
Aside from this, anything conductive
to the prosperity and welfare of the
rural population means greater pros
perity for the city and country town
population who are directly depend
ent upon the farmer who is the only
actual producer Of wealth. This axiom
will during the interim until the next
crop is harvested, be firmly impressed
upon the understanding of many
country store merchant located in Sec
tons of our state where last years
crop was a failure. The merchants of
small towns are jealous of the in
fringment of mail order houses upon
their business but If they want the
business of their community let them
help build the roads from the farmers
place Of business to theirs. If these
men were given to understand that
they had a choice between good roads
and the parcels post they would i'm
mediately become enthusiastic advo-
Gates for better roads and would
readily lend their aid toward securing
state and national aid
The Farmers Right.
The farmer has a right, both moral
and legal, to receive state and national
aid in the building Of his roads. He
already pays an unjust proportion of
the taxes. His property is largely of
such a nature that he can neither hide
it nor conceal it's value and, when
the assessor comes around, it has
to be said. even the pigs squeaI
as though determined not to be
overlooked. On the other hand
it is a we'll known fact that a
large percentage of city and corpora
ton property escapes taxation. Then
too, do not cities profit from public i'm
provements out of proportion to the
amount of taxes they pay? Look at
Fargo, for example, with the agricul-
tural college, the state fair, the Cass
county courthouse, the federal build
ing and many other buildings and i'm
provements from which the city Sc
cures revenue vastly greater than the
taxes paid by it's citizens for the sup
port of these institutions and improve
ments. Being recipients of these spec
ial privileges why should they not in
turn, by a system of state aid. help the
farmers build adequate roads which
would be Of great and lasting benefit
to the city as well IS the country?
THE national government has ex-
pended millions upon the Improvement
of harbors, rivers, canals, and other
waterways; it has given millions upon
millions of dollars worth of land to
private corporations for the building of
railroads but it has been conspicuously
parsimonious in aiding the building of
public highways. The result is that
we have the finest steamships, the best
harbors and the most efficient railroad
service in the world, but our public
roads are incomparably poorer than
those Of the least civilized country of
Europe. The state is taxing its entire
population for the support of educa-
tional institutions that are Of direct
benefit only to the few who take ad-
vantage of those schools and yet we all
admit that the state is more than
justified in making this expenditure.