The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1912-10-25

AAN wv W. NS
wealth and prosperity of a country by
furnishing ready and economical
means for travel and traffic.
There is not a enthusiastic
booster of good roads than Dr.
Pratt, State Geologist Of North Caro-
lima and secretary of the North Caro-
lima Good Roads Association. He il
especially interested in the matter Of
employing convicts in road building
and believes that North Carolina has
demonstrated the advisability of this
plan. He thinks the system to be alb
solutely sound, benefitting the criminal
tending toward his reformation and
making him of real service to the
public.
Mr.. James H. Macdonald, State
Highway Commissioner of Connecticut,
who is a%fectionately termed the
Father of the Good Roads Move.
ment", aroused the spirit of the dele
gates by his assertion that politics
MUST be excluded from the cam
paign for good roads before anytf ing
definite can be accomplished. In tie
applause that followed this remark,
Jesse Taylor, a leading republican
and good roads enthusiast of Ohio.
! 11A~4I - hts loot 0nA nNNn0o0d
three cheers for Gov. Woodrow VIII.
son, saying: "He Is at least honest
enough to take a stand on the i'm.
portant question in which we are
now engaged"
In this connection the writer wit.
messed q very animated discussion
while serving on the committee on
resolutions, and believes the incident
to be Of sufhcient interest to be re-
corded. OF course, udder the con.
ditions surrounding the incident it
would amount to q breech of conf.
dence to mention names. A resolution
was proposed at . meeting Of the
committee, commencing the favorable
and outspoken declaration Of Gov.
Woodrow Wilson on the question OF
Federal aid In the construction OF
highways. Strong objection was
made to the resolution. with evident
sincerity. on the ground that 1t
would be injecting politics into the
good roads movement. A gentleman
from Ohio. who declared he was a
thoroughbred republican, took the
floor and ardently advocated the
adoption Of the resolution because It
was the fair and the right thing to
do, regardless Of the political predilec-
tons Of Mr.. Wilson, he said. He was
followed by another member Of the
committee. who after stating that II
ever there was . rank republican"
in tbs country the appetlaton truly
applied to himself. expressed lis cor
dial approval Of the resolution. add
ing that he believed it reflected the
real sentiment Of the congress whose
membership he thought was more
than three-fourths republican in poll
tics. II there were any democrats on
the committee besides the writer
they thoughtfully refrained from TAX
ing any part in the warm debate which
ensued. When the question was put
by the chairman the resolution or rec
ommendation was adopted without q
negative vote-the great American,
spirit Of fair play had triumphed. The
same resolution was unanimously en-
dorsed by the congress when present
ed to that body in regular session. z
After adjournment of the commit
tee meeting on this occasion. the
writer offered to clasp hands. as a
democrat, with a republican who was
an American first and a party-man
afterward. and the Bull Mooser from
Ohio gave a most hearty response to
the sentiment.
Mr.. Lyon, secretary of the New
York Automobile Association, told of
the simple and effective scheme he
introduced in his state for marking
routes from N town or city to
another. Circles or bands are painted
on telegraph II telephone poles to
designate a given route by a certain
color. For example, all poles along
the road leading out of Lafayette to
Carencro would be circled with a
band of RHD paint, which would
be designated as the red route,
or Carencro road. BLUE paint would
be used to indicate the route to
Broussard. and WHITE paint for
Scott, etc. A motorist could then
easily find his way from town to
town upon learning which color
to take and follow. Mr.. Lyon
said the telegraph and telephone
companies gladly granted the prlyi-
Iage Of %paintinp their nOlnS fo, thic