The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-03-08
FEDERAL AID FOR GOOD ROADS

nounced than another at the COCO
roads convention, 1t was the senti
ment In favor of federal aid for the
building of good roads
The convention was a unit in favor
OF the same.
The sentiment is spreading. The
membership of the Florida Coco
Roads Association Is expected soor
10 number ten thousand; and wher
ten thousand representative mer
speak there'll be something doing.
There is no question as to prece
dents and no question as to constitu
tional authority.
Besides the general welfare clause
which Is used as the stalking horse
for a great many things, the congress
of the United States is given express
authority to establish postoffices and
post roads.
Under this provision if it has a
right TO build a postoffice it has a
right TO build a road.
In 1918 the house of representa-.
tives declared it's authority under
this article of the Constitution as
follows:
Resolved, That congress has pow
or under the constitution to appropri-
ate money for the construction of
post roads.
President Madison, in his message
TO congress, said:
| particularly invite the attention
OF congress TO the eXpediency of exer.
eising the existing powers i'll
order TO effectuate a comprehensive
system of roads, = such as will
have the effect of drawing more
closely together every part of our
country, by promoting intercourse
and improvements, and by increasing
the share of every part in the COM
mon stock of national prosperity.
Henry Clay, in 1918, said:
OF all the modes in which a gov
eminent can employ it's surplus reve-
nue. none is more permanently bene-
ficial than that of internal improve
ment Fixed to the soil, it becomes
a durable part of the land itself, diff
fusing comfort and activity and ami
nation on all sides. The first direct
effect is on the agricultural commu-
nifty into whose pockets comes the
difference in the expense of transpor-
tation between the good and bad
ways. Thus, if the price of trans
porting a barrel of flour by the cree
ton of the Cumberland Turnpike
should be lessened 50, the producer
of that article would receive that So
more now than formerly.
Mr.. John c. Calhoun was perhaps
the strictest constructionist in con.
gress, and yet as early as 1917 he in
troduced a bill in congress to pro-
vide funds for the construction of
roads. In defense of that principle,
among other things, he said:
Let IL not be said the internal i'm
provements may be wholly left to the
enterprise OF the state and of individ-
uals. | know that much may Justly
be expected to be done by them; but
in country so new and so extensive
as ours there is room enough for all,
the general and state governments
and individuals, to exert their re-
sources. Many of the improvements
contemplated are on too great a scale
for the resources of states of or indi-
viduals. and many of them are of
such a nature that the rival jealousy
OF the state. IL left alone, might pre-
vent. They require the resources
and general superintendent of the
government to effect and complete
them. But there are higher and more
powerful considerations why con-
gress should take charge of this sub
ject. IL We were only to consider the
pecuniary advantages of a good sys-
TEN of roads and canals it might, in
deed. admit of some doubt whether
they ought not to be left alone wholly
TO individual exertion. but when we
come 10 consider how intimately the
strength and political prosperity of
the republic are connected with this
subject, we find the most urgent rea-
sons why we should apply our re.
sources to them. Good roads and ca
nails, judiciously laid out, are the
proper remedy Let us, then, bind
the republic together with a perfect
syste moi roads and canals.
And subsequently the secretary Of
war. in referring to the same subject
he said:
No objetc of the kind is more i'm
portant. and there is none to which
state or individual capacity is more
inadequate. 1t must be perfected by
the general government, or not per
fected at all
Six hundred million dollars haze
been spent by the federal govern
ment for the erection of postoffice
buildings, and six hundred millions
more would not be too much, but she
has spent scarcely a dollar in the
building of good roads. AS has been
said in congress. and was said on the
floor at the Good Roads Convention:
The improvement of our country
roads is the most important question
before the American congress. In all
else our nations progress has been