The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-20
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 90, 1912.
SOME MERIDIAN ROAD ADVAN.
T.AGES.

The meridian road through Grand
Forks county should. from u local
viewpoint. be the best in the line from
the gulf To Winnipeg. The Times
is not selfish in its pride and would
lie to see the portion through the
state the hest of tho great thorough
fare. But the other counties might
consider thai W. We're dipping into
their local affairs did We urg upon
them the building of a road that will
be a self-spcakinC advertisement for
the county through which it passes.
The Rcd river valley is the richest
section of agricultural country
through which the line passes. 1t is.
at the same time. the most beautiful
stretch of level prairie in the country
%traversed. The people from Il dis
lance who will use the meridian road
will study the ountrE as they drive
through and in this way the country
will receive its specific advertising.
If the road is poor OF allowed to get
into 4 bad condition. the attention
of tourists will lie taken from the
great hillowing fields Of grain and
given to the d~eplorable condition of
the road. On the contrary, il the
road is over which an auto can
spin with ease and comfort. the coun-
try. its riches and its opportunities
will he the centre of attention.
There is Il vast difference between
the observations of traveller by rail-
road and one by automobile. In a
railway coach he centres his mind
largely upon things within the coach.
Tho u,iff.cnnnlinp rntntr,- ic orf,. n
whirling stage whereon the scenery is
constantly changing without Impress
ing the beholder. In an automobile
the traveller is out Of doors. and his
attention is centered upon the things
out of doors. lie passes through the
farm and can almost reach the prod
ucts of the fields growing by the road.
side. He learns of the country almost
at first hand.
North Dakota has everything agri-
rulturally desired along the meridian
road The only thing that can keep
these things from impressing the trav-
eler will he the road itself. It is for
this reason that special attention
should he given to the construction Of
the highway.
To the auto traveler-and there are
n hundred of them to one five years
aso-the responsiveness of a city is
measured by the roads leading to it.
The traveller entering n city by rail
may look out of the car window and
see A lot Of ra~mshackling sheds and
dilapidated buildings. and while he
will receive an impression of lack of
enterprise on the part of the city, he
al IL L.,
Of the depot and the business hi can
see being done there. Not so the au-
toist. He into "A city over a
road that receives his specific atten-
tion. and if it is high grade. he re-
reives a favorable impression, and the
first thing he will tell about will he
the beautiful road he came over into
TIE city. Gut if he had to drive his
machine over rough or muddy roads
and come to a stop in a clutter of tin
cans and other rubbish. the first thing
he will ask OF the first he meets. will
he why somebody doesn't fix the
road. A quaint old southern town
that lives on the memories 'befoh
the wah' is approached in either d.
rection over the northwestern turn
Iihe ildt Nds pulll beloIe TdllTOaQS.
ON either side of the town this thor
%oughfare winds with easy grades
around and over the foothills. with a
harm that is enhancing. The town
is the terminus of Il branch line OF
railroad with the worst of southern
facilities, and travellers reached the
town in the past by driving. now by
auto. The town is the synonym of de-
cay. but every one who ever visited
it will become enthusiastic over the
beautiful drive to the city. This is
only illustrative. a city's greatest as
sci. especially in an agricultural coun-
try. is god roads leading to it and
the cities on the meridian road would
do we'll to rise to their opportunities
in this particular.