The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-12
BANQUET PRECEDES TRIP OF THE SCOUTS Will Leave for Montgomery
 This Morning UNDERWOOD SPEAKS Knows Every Foot of Proposed Way Because He Peddled It on
 Bicycle Twenty
 Years Ago
UNDERWOOD SPEAKS

room of the Florence hotel at a dinner given in honor of James J. Smith, pub fisher of the Birmingham Ledger, and Congressman Oscar W Underwood. Int list of guests included many citizens 1T who are active in the movement for bet ter highways in the state.
 An elaborate six course dinner was served, the courses being interspersed with speeches by many of the assembled guests in which the movement for good road: was praised and the good work of the press came in for its full share of the enconiums. Asa Rountree, secretary ot 1 the Alabama Good Roads association, pre- sided as toastmaster, and called upon the speakers of the evening
 At the beginning Of the speech ,1iak- ing John w. O'Neill, president of the Jefferson County Good Roads association, took the floor, and read letters of regret | from several invited guests who were un- able to attend among them United States Senator Joseph F. Johnston, State Senator | Atkins and United States Senator Jonn H. Bankhead. who expressed his inten-
 
 leaves today for Montgomery at that | place.
 | MT. O'Neill stated that the dinner was | given in honor of MT. Smith, and praised the work of MT Smith and his paper in the good roads movement. He called upon | MT. Rountree to act as toastmaster 1 In taking the floor MT. Rountree recalled the pleasures of the trip of the scouts to Decatur. and reviewed the success of the Ledger in planning and executing that l trip. He proposed toast to MT. Smith, to which he asked him to respond.
 MT Smith extended his thanks for the compliments that had been showered upon himself and his paper. He recalled the | trip of the scouts north, and said that if before that trip he had been good roads advocate he was doubly one after listening to the speeches of Rountree, Bankhead, Graft and Going on that trip. | There is no use in my making a good roads speech here however," said he, for if there Is any one who went on that trip who is not good roads advo- cate, he is hopeless.
 | Postmaster Rountree next introduced | Congressman Underwood, whom he char acterized as a most distinguished states man, known all over the world for the record that he had made in the past Con- gress, and looked to as the next Presi- dent of the United States. He has rep- resented the Birmingham district we'll in Congress for the past F years" said MT. | Rountree He has made a record as a good roads advocate, helped to organize the Alabama Good Roads association, and has been one of its chief advisers We are proud of him and glad to welcome nm home again. He came in quietly, though We would have received him with a brass band and much rejoicing
 Tt is a pleasure for me to be at home said Mr. Underwood, "and es- pecially to be with you tonight do not claim to be a veteran in anything else. but 1 do claim to be a veteran in the good roads movement The way to con- vert men to good roads is to take them out in a pilot car. I graduated more than 20 years ago, pumping my way on a bicycle on my first trip to Montgomery over the road you will go tomorrow. know every foot of the way. for I peddled every one
 T became satisfied then that the great movement for the people of Alabama was the upbuilding of the roads in the state.
 There are many issues, important and vital, that become paramount before the people, but this is one issue that must remain until it is settled There is nc economic problem more important nc investment that returns 100 per cent more than the building of good roads
 Alabama stands first in the list of | states. She is first In her agricultural and mineral resources; she is first in the manhood of her people--there is no state whose people represent the truer Ameri- can type of citizenship more than does Alabama. But I am sorry to say that she is among the last of the states so far as the development of her road sys- tenn is concerned. For you and for me. as citizens of this great state, believing as we do in the future of our great state the great economic question to solve is the building of good roads,
 ITO convince the people of the value of good roads the method is to build a great highway and show them what 1t is worth The system will then grow to the confines of the state. There is no use in preaching theory, for theory dies"
 In concluding MT. Underwood proposed a toast to the pioneer of good roads in Jefferson county, Col. Goldboro Hewett who secured thel passage in the legis. atrue of a measure enabling the people of this county to issue bonds for the mproveemnt of their highways
 A number of other speakers were called upon by Toastmaster Rountree, among them Captain Craft. president of tht Alabama Good Roads association, Jol Going and c. B. Rogers, of the Jefferson 5 county board of revenue, Harry Kuhr chairman of the arrangement committe, for the banquet, w. R. Starbuck E. R !, Norman Oscar Hunt, F. w. Brownell ! B. M. Brazeai and Jere Gwin. l At the conclusion of the banquet MT e Rountree expressed the appreciation O the good roads advocates for the effort 7 that the press of Birmingham and of tn f state had made for the cause which the, advocated
 The party will leave Birmingham thi morning at o'clock on a scouting tri to Montgomery to blaze the way for tha part of the Tennessee to the Gulf high s way between the two cities. Speeche [ will be made at various places en rout n by the members of the party , :, Gardner Green ApDOintad