Arizona republican., 1911-11-15
CHAMP TALKS
GOOD ROADS
Clark Tells of Some of the
Difficulties in Way of
Road Building and of the
Best Means to Surmount
Them.

address OF Hon. Champ Clark. speak
er of the house of representatives,
before the Commercial club of this
city tonight, was in part as follows:
There are several important and
far reaching problems of urgent ne
cessitty pressing for solution. Among
| these are a rational conservation of
Jour natural resources, which we have
! wasted with prOdigars hand: a
comprehensive and practicable scheme
for the building of wagon roads:
change in the banking laws so as to
give the element of elasticity to our
currency system. contamination de
voutly to be wished; the drainage
and reclamation of overlooked and
swamp lands; and above all, an ade-
quate and comprehensive system of
river Improvement. There are others.
but these are enough and more than
enough for one evenings considera-
ton
Upon investigation. it will be as
certainced that one Of the chief diff
ficulties in effecting certain much
needed reforms is our dual system of
government. state and federal Ev-
| erybody knows that our little re-
manning timber supply should be
carefully conserved Not only that,
! but we must speedily enter upon an
| extensive and scientific system of
tree planting at the head of our
streams if we would prevent the dry
/ ling up of this country and the con-
sequent dcsolation such as fell upon
/ Spain at a later day. which can be
traced directly to the destruction of
| its forests. We are all agreed that
trees ought to be planted but the
question which gives us pause is
this: Whose business and whose
/ duty is it? Is it the function Of the
/ federal government or of the state
! government? On THAT there is
radical difference Of opinion even
among the wisest. the most patriotic
and most philanthropic men. II is
/ high time that a conclusion were
reached on that subject. for until il
/ is reached our forests are being ra-
! pidly destroyed and nobody is plant
: ing the trees which are TO bless our
/ posterity and insure the continued
/ fertility of the soil In this we would
do well 10 take a leaf out of the book
| of the Germans. They are a practi-
/ cal people and among other things
! have reduced tree-planting and tree
cutting to a science They use all
I the timber they need for their ra-
| pidly growing population but 50 per
feet is their system for conserving
old trees and planting new ones that
! they HaVe as much standing timber
and Of a better average quality than
T In IA. sfs.r.
Whether our people would submit
to such strict regulations on this
subject so vital to our future wei
fare is problematical but the ncces-
sity is upon us to act, and the quick
er the better for all concerned. De-
lay is not only dangerous; it is.
ruinous
Everybody admits the crying ne
cessity for good wagon roads. \
great writer. Frank G. Carpenter. re-
Gently declared that our bad roads
cost the American people eight hum
dred million dollars per annum, which
sum nearly equals our annual appro-
priation bills and exceeds the one
half Of the valuation of the imperial
commonwealth. Bad wagon roads are
the greatest. the most remarkable
and the least justifiable of all the
extravagances known among men.
Even the ancient Romans were ahead
of us in the matter of roads Their
armies advancing into the country
built rock roads wherever it was
feasible centuries before McAdams
gave his name to a system of road
building and to the dictionaries Of the
world. People living in the hill
country where rock and gravel are
abundant have absolutely no tenable
excuse for bad roads and the man
who will invent or discover a good
material for road building i'm the
reckless and graVelless stretches or
prairie will deserve n monument as
tall as Washingtons and viii deserve
to rank as a scientist with Isaac
Newton. the discoverer of the law
Of gravity; with Lord Bacon, the
father of inductive philosophy, and
with Benjamin Franklin. the captor
of lightning Ny district contains
more rock and gravel roads than any
other congressional district i'm Mis-
souri, and the mileage is being gradu- |
ally but constantly increased Indeec !
there is a great awakening all over
Missouri on this subject People |
are concluding that good roads are
paying investment and are realizing
their prime importance. Again. the
question arises: Whose duty is it to |
build good wagon roads? The ad-
vocates of good roads are dividing |
into two warning camps as betwiXt |
the federal and state governments |
and in the meantime the appalling
waste of bad roads continues. Good
roads can be built only with good |
money. and the people furnish the
money. whether To the federal or
state government but there can be
no doubt that a way will be found. |
We have found one way in the ninth
congressional district of Missouri. |
and that is to build the roads our
selves without aid from either the
federal or state government
Congress has determined to eX-
pend two million dollars to erect a
memorial to Abraham Lincoln. As