The Detroit times., 1912-11-09
ELECTION OF
WILSON MAKES
AUTOISTS GLAD
President-Elect is Friendly to
Good Highways
Idea
BELIEVES IN NATIONAL
IMPROVEMENT OF ROADS
Little Delay in Getting Con-
gressiOnal Aid EX-
pected

ne eleCllOu OI WOOuio"
the presidency of the United States
carries with IL encouragement to the
advocates OF federal aid In highway
Improvement. 1t insures an adminis-
tration friendly TO the efforts OF the
American Automobile association and
other bodies who are cooperating
with II In the work TO re-establish the
policy OF road building as one OF the
fixed and definite policies OF the ma
tional government
President-elect Wilson In many
public addresses has voiced his belief
In the wisdom OF National improve
ment OF means OF communication, anu
particularly OF roads, to which he
specifically referred In his address at
the American Road Congress al Az
lantic City. on that occasion saying
among other things:
"A nation is bound together py lts
means of communication; ana It's
means OF communication create us
thought.
I'VE must more and more engage
the government in providing the gen
eral facilities OF the common me.
There Is no breach in that or any OF
our older understandings OF the rune
lions OF government. We nave never
doubted that the government had the
right to supply these facilities whlcn
private endeavor has never been ex-
pected TO supply Therefore we are
not upon a new ground of theory; we
are merely upon a new ground Oh
tactics.
1.-THE question or highways fs-ene
OF the few great Observation-Disclosures OF
our public and our communal life with
which the government Is OF necessity
connected | see that We must 90
, what we have been backward In doing
as compared with other nations.
81 tell you frankly my interest In
good roads Is not merely An interest
IN the pleasure OF riding in automo-
biies. II Is not merely an interest In
the much more important matter OF
afYordjnR farmers of this country and
residents in villages means OF ready
access to suen- neighhnring markets
as they need for economic dement,
hut II Is also the interest In weaving
as complicated and elaborate net
OF neiChborhood and state and nation
al opinion together as II is possible 10
weave. IL Is OF the most fundamen-
tai Importance that the United States
should think I'm big pieces, should
think together, should think ultimate
w az a whole. and I feel In my en-
thusiasm for good roads something OF
the old opposition that there always
has been in me TO any kind or sec
tional feeling.
81 believe that II Is the proper func-
ton OF the government TO see to II
that the extension ~ all the varied
modern knowledge, about character
! istics OF different soils, ought TO be SO
extended. so carried everywhere TO
the farmer as 10 build up by the aid
OF the government this thing that
feeds us, and ought to continue TO feed
he world. and whenever you speak or
that. whenever you increase what the
United States Is doing. you must I'm
mcoiately increase the facilities or
the United States for handling what
II has made after II has made 1t. You
cannot nationally increase the prosper
jty of this country. without increas-
ing the road facilities OF this coun
try"
In view OF these expressions, the
feeling among Federal Aid advocates
Is that there should be little delay III
, obtaining from congress the adoption
OF a comprehensive and intelligent
plan for national participation In the
good roads movement on more ex'
tensive scale than has heretofore
been contemplated. The beginning OF
President wilson's administration will
be signalized by the assembling at
washington on March and 2, 1913
OF the second Federal Aid Good Roads
convention under the auspices OF the
A. A. A. II is believed that this occa-
sion will mark the beginning OF a new
era In national economical progress.