Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-11-16
GOVERNOR WILSON
FOR BETTER ROADS
pres.centE Declares He 10 for
better Hiahways---Wants Gov
eminent to Aid

The election OF Woodrow Wilson 10
the presidency of the United States
carries with It encouragement to the
advocates Of federal aid In highway
Improvement II assure an admins
tration friendly TO the efforts OF the
American Automobile association and
other bodies who are cooperating with
Il In the work 70 re.establish the pol
Icy of road building as one OF the fixed
and definite policies OF the national
government.
President-elect Wilson IN many nd
dresses has voiced his belief In the
wisdom OF national improvement Of
means OF communication, and partic
ularly to roads. TO which he specifica'-
~ referred in his address at Atlantic
city, on that occasion saying among
other things:
A nation Is bound together by It's
means Of communication. and its
teams OF communication create It's
thought.
we must more ana more engage
the government In providing the gen.
eral facilities OF the common life.
There Is no breach in that OF any OF
our older understandings Of the func'
lions of government. We have never
doubted that the government had the
right to supply these FACILITIES which
private endeavor has never been ex'
pected to supply Therefore we arc
not upon a new ground Of theory; we
are merely upon new ground OF
facts.
"The question Of highways Is one
OF the few great instrumentalities OF
our public and our communal life
which the government Is OF necessity
connected see that we must do
what we have been backward In doing
as compared with other nations
Il tell you frankly that my interest
In good roads il not merely an inter
est IN the pleasure or riding In auto
mobiles II Ii not merely an interest
IN the much more important matter Of
affording farmers Of this country and
residents in villages means of ready
access to such neighboring markets
as they need for economic benefit
but II is also the interest In weaving
as complicated and elaborate net Of
neighborhood and state and national
opinion together as Il Is possible to
weave. II is OF the most fundamental
Importance that the United States
should think In big pieces. should
think together, should think ultimate
~ as whole. and feel in my en-
thusiasm for good roads something OF
the old opposition that there always
has been in me to any kind OF Sec
iional feeling
function OF the government to see 10
lit that the extension or all the vari.
ed modern knowiedges. about charac.
tefistics or different seals, ought to be
SO extended SO carried everywhere
TO the farmer as TO build up by the
aid OF the government. this thing that
feeds MS. and ought to continue TO feed
the world. and whenever you speak
Df thatt whenever you increase what
the United States Is doing, you must
Immediately increase the facilities
OF the United states by handling
what Il has made 1t. You cannot rn-
tionalIy increase the prosperity Of
this country, without increasing the
road facilities OF this country
In view OF these Expressions. the
feeling among federal aid advocates
Is that there should be little delay
In obtaining from congress the adop-
ton OF a comprehensive and inteIii-
gent plan for national participation IN
the good roads movement on more
extensive scale than has heretofore
been contemplated. The beginning
Of President Wilson's administration
will be signalized by the assembling
az Washington on March and z,
1918. OF the second Federal Aid
Good Roads convention under the au.
spices Of the A. A. A It Ii believed
that this occasion win mark the bsl
CHUNG Of new era In national eco'
.3as.xt1af s,rt.t,ns1os.