Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25

ton renewed acquaintance with Frank
M. Olmstead, better known as Cutie,
Baltimore manager OF the Goodyear IRE
Company. Mr.. Olmstead was one OF the
officials Of the -Four Leaf Clover" run
from Washington last May. and made
many friends on that occasion.
+ \
Roy Erkman. eastern sales manager
for the Detroit electric, welcomed his
many Washington friends during the
week The Detroit electric was the only
electric exhibit at the 1912 show.
]. Harry Cunningham closed a sale
with DR.. John Constas for q Marion
'.333'' roadster, finished in green, with
yellow running gear.
The officials Of the show. to whom
much credit for the success of the at
fair was due, was composed of DIR. H. M.
tary and general manager; r. ]. W..
Hamill, F. s. Bliven. Joel G. Nassauer.
John S. Bridges, Arthur Stanley Zell, w.
L. Duck and Thomas G. Young.
F. s. Bliven. for a number of years
engaged in the automobile business in
Washington received many Washington
handles In the Monumental city.
x.
Many prominent officials Of the state
were present governors day, while IN
the evening the scene presented was
most suspicious one. The day was
named in honor OF Gov. Goldsborough.
The show closed tonight with the
largest attendance Of the week, 1t being
Maryland night" and also the wind-up
OF the pleasure vehicle section.
x x
Thomas Nelson Page, in a statement
the committee on Membership Of the
American Association for Highway I'M
provement, points to the association as
the proper vehicle through which all the
people OF the country can take part in
the great movement for the improvement
of the roads. which. he holds. will in
crease the prosperity of the country and
provide more equal distribution of
population. President Taft has taken
the lead in becoming a member of the
association. and its officers include some
Of the most prominent men OF the
country.
''Of all the material affairs Of the
country at present" says Mr.. Page, 1.-THE
Improvement of the public roads seems
to me the most important and far reach
ing. Every improvement of our roads
Is a direct Increase in the value of our
property and direct assistance toward
the Improvement. physically, morally
and mentally, of our people. It Is not too
much to say that in the southern portion
or this country we are fifty years behind
at least part of the north In this mat
ter of roads, and we are 200 years be-
hind Europe, at least that portion of
Europe over which / have travelled, ex-
tending from the northern fords of Nor
way down to the southernmost points of
Italy and Spain.
The European roads were, of course,
built by forced labor, and I have often
thought that If during the military &C.
cupation of the southern states after the
war the government had only carried out
the policy which 1t subsequently carried
out in Cuba and is carrying out. I I'M
derstand. In the Philippines, of building
first-class roads throughout the country
the south would have gotten some return
for the devastation to which we were SUBJ
jected during that period.
Both urban and rural communities Of
course. are interested vitality in roads, but
the country Is far more interested than
the city, for good roads shorten the dis
railway station and the country store
precisely so much as the road is i'm
proved. 1t is not too much to say that
the agricultural land of the south would
be more than doubled In value If the roads
were only half as bad as they are.
have in my own knowledge. and 1t is an
experience common to every one who lives
in the country, known of instances in
which, after much negotiations, prospec-
tive purchasers of the farms and country
places in Virginia, coming to see the es-
tates which they expected to purchase,
turn back, after travelling hundreds of