Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-05-01
GOOD ROADS.
uuEN AND HOW TO OBTAIN
THEM.
.n,rss by JOHN CLARK scATEs, OF
wgsrBaooK, BEFORE STATE
BOARD OF TRADE.

,ha material welfares put '" eheH s0hsure,
eoa,for, and happiness as well, should
answer, good roads.
rrom the dawn OF history, roads and
..ansnor,ation have had a mighty influence
~ ali civilizations. They date in some
sa.oo or other beyond the pale OF history
even into the twilight OF fable. There is
.othiug that so clearly indicates the en-
.ar,r,se and character OF community as
49, the condition OF its streets and roads.
n YOU 20 into q place as stranger. your
a,st IMPRESSION OF that community Is OBJ
,sined from its streets and sidewalks. II
the streets are clean, its sidewalks good,
,oa will also fluid weli-painted houses and
wsll.kept lawns and you Immediately
.o,ns to the conclusion that that COM
munity is enterprising and that 1t Is a
GOOD place in which to live. II, ON the
ether hand, you find the streets poor and
a,rty. the sidewalks bad you come to the
opposite conclusion that the people may
ne something like its streets, and that II Is
not desirable place in which to live.
These first impressions have had, do to-
day and will have in the future more than
In the past, great influence on the de-
vplopment OF this State. II is an old
ssare that all roads lead to Rome. All
roads should lead to Maine, for II posses
ses the greatest natural beauties OF the
North. All roads did lead 10 Rome, and
thew we're good roads, too, aud this is one
Of The reasons that enabled her TO exercise
asupremaey over the world for so long a
period.
Rome was the great road builder OF an
Gent times. Whenever she acquired new
provinces or extended her boundaries, she
immediately extended her roads to the
furthermoss boundary. She knew that IL
she was TO Romantic those new provinces
and change their trend OF thought, she
must bring them into as close contact
with the thought and actions OF the Eter-
nal City as possible. In Eu ope there are
in existence some OF those old Roman
roads built nearly 1000 years ago.
Toe invention and development OF the
locomotive change our whole history en-
deayor OF the nation. During the Civil
war and Immediately after, the people Of
this nation saw IL they were to make it
one nation in thought and action they
must bring the people Of that vast terri
tory beyond the Rockies, that almost
empire on The shores OF the Pacific, into
close touch and union with the people OF
the East; the Atlantic and Pacific must be
connected by great highway.
As a result OF this opinion government
granted vast tracts of land to a private
corporation to assist it in constructing a
highway OF steel across the Rockies. Not
only that, but the national government
loaned its credit to the corporation, and
while the projectors OF the enterprise
made millions, still 1t was the wisest
thing the national government ever did
because 1t not only brought the people OF
the East and West closer together, but
was the means Of opening up to settle
meut a vast territory that was almost
hitherfore unknown.
The roads of Rome typiiied its higher
civilization and enterprise just as truly as
did the roads, or rather lack OF roads, char
scterize the feudai civilization OF me-
diaeval times n thousand years later.
Another invention has come and di-
verted the thought OF the people back to
the original public highways. The great
while the private highways OF steel can be
used only by these who have the price,
the public roads are free to all, the poor as
well as the rich. IL 1t was necessary and
wise for the government to grant financial
assistance to the private highway or rail-
road, how much more incumbent is it on
the national government to lend its tnan-
cial aid to these great public thorough
fares " hich are free to anyone?
Federal aid for highways Is much nearer
than most of US here in the East think.
1t is live issue. in the West and South
and there is a strong sentiment for it in
Congress among the most influential
Congress, however, moves slowly, and in
the meantime We must work out our own
salvation.
AN OBJECT LESSON.
Good roads is one of the great conserva-
ton ideas as important as the conserva-
ton OF the forests or that of the water in
The arid West. saw this strikingly Illus
trated last fall; some two and one-half
miles from Portland, on one of the great
highways leading into that beautiful city,
is brickyard. 1t is q miserable road,
but the city has annually for the past
few years been building a piece of good
road. Last fall it was completed to the
brlckyard All of those brick are sold in
Portland. / travel over the road nearly
every day. Before the last section was
completed, the cart would be loaded full
OF brick and 1t required three horses to
haul it to Portland. After the good road
reached that brickyard, / noticed the
carts were rounded up and there was at
least 100 more brick on them than before,
and instead OF three horses, there were
only two
There was at least twenty-five cents
saved on every Thousand Of brick; in
other words. there was on every thousand