Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-01-19
HoNORS FOR ARKANSAS VAL
LEY
Continued From FRS. Page

vention resulted in awakening the
people of the entire state as they have
never been made to realize before
" nat good roads really mean. Good
roads have heretofore been of little
or the utomobilist. Today in COLI
RADIO me question of good roads as "a
mvement of nationwide importance
has taken its proper place at the top
of the list of live problems of the day,
and it is there to stay.
Months of publicity and almost
years notice of this, the annual meet
ing of the Colorado Good Roads con-
ference, failed to arouse much inter-
est in the convention or its doings un-
til it came to be realized that South
ern Colorado, that section of the state
which had ceased to build roads on
paper, but which had taxed its var
ious counties and raised money to
build roads on dirt and rock had
reached stage in road development
so far ahead of almost every section
OF Colorado as to place the Santa Fe
trail and Rainbow route so far in ad
vance of the construction of other
sections of proposed Colorado link
in transcontinental highway that
Denver and its immediate vicinity
| awoke and found that they were like
ly to be found asleep at the plow and
scraper when the convention opened.
that finally caused the convention to
become one of the most exciting and
| interesting of any similar convention
ever held in the United States.
The truth of the whole matter is
just this: Southern Colorado has ex-
pended hundreds of thousands of dol
lars in building roads in all directions.
| and the money and work thus expend-
ed. particularly in that section of the
state from Holly to Grand Junction
| and from Pueblo north and south. has
given this section of the state more
and far better roads than any other
country which is Garden of Eden
and the Switzerland of America. Sud-
denly realizing this, and having in
mind the forthcoming meeting at
Washington of the National Good
Roads convention. Denver and few
other Colorado counties sought not
only to prevent Sorthern Colorado
from placiny the Centennial State on
the map as the mountain link in a
great transcontinental highway, but
the truth OF the matter is Denver
actually. demanded by its aston in the
| convention that Pueblo and Southern
| Colorado halt in the development and
| advertising of its roads until Denver
and Northern Colorado dould catch
| up i'll the procession.
This Southern Colorado firmly re-
| fused to do, and in taking the position
| that it was entitled to reap the ben
cfits of its efforts during the last two
| or three years to build roads instead
of air castles. and in refusing to be
halted by the demands of Denver.
Pueblo and Southern Colorado ac-
| complisred more to stimulate the
| the state than if Southern Colorado
had agreed to compromise its posi-
| ton in the convention Just ended.
| Pueblo and Southern Colorado have
been placated and sidetracked by
| Denver for the past ten years OF
| more. and il the future had anything
similar i'll store for Pueblo to that
which has so often taken place in the
past, then Pueblo and Southern Colo
rado were entirely justified in holding
the advantages which years of effort
and thousands OF dollars expended to
make good roads have brought them.
and if the Santa Fe trail and Rainbow
route. with their north and south con-
nections. will bring Colorado the ad-
vertising and the travellers expected,
then the entire state will reap the
benefit for few people come to Pueblo
| who do not visit every other import
ant and interesting section of this
splendid state.
1t is small potatoes, indeed, for
Denver to talk of organizing another
good roads association, except for the
local regulation OF good roads prob
lens. A delegation that can't stand
mp and take the results OF contest
that had been advertised as many
months beforehand as the Good
semi-public body where it is likely
to face 4 conflict of opinion.
Southern Colorado looked to Pu-
ebloIo lead in the contest for recog-
milton of the splendid roadwork done
by the various counties in this section
of the state, and Southern Colorado
stood back OF Pueblo most Loyalty
and to its credit throughout the Con-
test. ss.ajf
When it is stated that Southern
Colorado has no only expended four
or five times as much money as
Northern Colorado to improve its
roads, but that its counties have ap-
propriated almost seven hundred
thousand dollars for additional road
work. regardless of any state or ma
tional aid. as against less than one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars ap-
propriatcd by counties along the
Denver and Omaha White Pole line,
it is even easier to understand why
Pueblo and Southern Colorado are so
greatly in earnest over. the question
Of good roads and the benefits good
roads will be to this section of the
state.
There are no apologies to make-no
odes to sing. Timely notice was CIV
en- every section of Colorado, and
those sections OF the state which have
been building roads on dirt instead