Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-08-11
(By Paul Crissey)


times as much money as the govern
ment ever spent to make the country
roads little easier for traffic! 1hat
is what prominent United States
senator has recently advocated. Think
of it, Just to fill up the ruts ana the
holes to make pulling a trifle easier
for few tired farmers horses.
Why? Because the people OF the
United States have at last come to
see that there is but little else in this
country SO Fundamentally necessary
to the individual welfare of each cit
izen as are good roads. Tnat is the
answer. 1t appears on the face of
it, perfectly simple answer and one
that at first thought does not pro-
woke much interest and arouses no
establishment And yet the gospel OF
good roads has come to mean saliva
ton for the dying towns and the sick
communities as well as for that great
eyil-the high cost Of living.
Never before in the history OF this
country has there been such an awak-
ening as that which has resulted re-
Gently from the scientific study of
the economic conditions now in ex-
istence. The citizens physicians who
made the diagnosis have stated that
bad roads were at the bottom OF the
existing high prices of necessities.
Why? There are several answers.
One OF them is best illustrated by
the story of the woman in the small
town who recently went into a gro
Gerry store and asked the price OF
eggs. The storekeeper quoted his
price.
"Why!" She exclaimed. That is
more than they ought to be at this
time of the year--6 cents more than
| ever paid before.
Il know that" said the merchant,
but 1t cannot be helped. The roads
have been so bad lately that the far
mers won't bring in their products.
That is the whole story in nut
shell. There are many others like it,
some more important than others.
That same woman probably placed
her order with mail order grocery
house, leaving the express company
to deliver the goods irrespective of
the condition of the roads. The mer-
chant in the story lost a customer,
the farmer lost chance to mar
ket his produce, and the woman fin
ally found that she had paid a big
price for her goods after all-and III
this because the roads were bad.
Main Arteries OF Commerce
Good roads mean prosperity to ev-
cry one in the CONTRIBUTIONS
single exception. Roads are the main
arteries of commerce, especially in an
agricultural nation like the United
States, and the entire problem is of
such magnitude that its extremities
touch vitality upon nearly every field
of endeayor.
Just what is the result of good
roads?
In the first place, the farmer is one
of the main considerations. He forms
the first link in the long chain of en-
beavers that go to make up the life
of today. His crops feed the people
of the nation and if he fails to get
those crops to market the result Is a
bodyblow to everyone who is depend
ent upon food and no one escapes
that classification. If the roads are
bad the farmer can not get his prod
ice to market before the prices have
risen to an unbearable point. and he
is not the one who profits by such a
forced raise. The bad roads drag
down his horses until they are mere
shadows, and good horsefesh costs
money. His wagons are despoiled
That is the story of few muddy
stretches, a chaos of ruts, and the
ohAAtAA6 SdudS VI u Ddu ROAD tell. Inc
farmer cannot exist and carry on
profitable business unless the roads
from his farm to his shipping point
are made worthy of the attention he
gives them annually.
How will the towns profit by good
roads?
Perhaps in diagnosing this situa.
ton it would be better to take a spe.
cific instance. 1t happened not long
ago in little town in Illinois that
man suddenly rose up from the OBJ
security of quiet citizenship in hi.
town of the conditions existing in his
town of B.. Here We are" he said
Indignantly, "a perfectly decent littl,
community with nice stores and hon
est business men, and yet nearly ev
cry month marks the departure o
some business enterprise from GU
main street. These men who pack uI
their wares and leave in the nigh