The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-03-29

The following excellent address
was delivered by Hon. Oscar I'M. In
derwood, Of Alabama, before the
American Automobile Association
Convention on January 10Th, in Phila-
delphia, and was published In
the Congressional Record Of March
8th It IL along the lines of good
roads BY Government building, and
will be found interesting throughout.
"I thank you for the opportunity
that has been given me to say a few
words on a subject that IL OF such
great Importance to the American
people.
There were no wiser men, more
patriotic men, that have ever been
connected with this great Government
Of ours than the men who established
it. They were enabled to look far
into the future and realize that "a
great civilization was to grow up out
OF wilderness. In establishing this
Government OF ours they delegated
certain powers to the Federal Govern
ment and reserved the balance to the
States. AS to matters OF local gov
eminent, almost all the powers were
reserved to the States, and only the
necessary powers to create central
government to protect IT, against
foreign foes, to enable u to establish
a system of judiciary, and to main
tain armies and navies were delegated
to the Federal Government. But in
their wisdom they deemed it neces-
Sary and proper to declare ini the
Federal Constitution that the National
Government should have the power
to establish post offices and post
roads.
1T do not believe in the Federal
Government encroaching upon the
rights of the States any more than I
believe in the States encroaching OF
the rights OF the Federal Government;
but do blieYe that the great Central
Government owes ii To the people OF
the United States that 1t should en-
force, carry out, and maintain the
great powers OF government that have
been delegated to it by the States;
and one OF those great powers carries
with it the right to See that system
of. post roads for intercommunication
between the people within the States
and the people beyond the borders, OF
the several States is established.
The fathers OF our Republic rec
ogniZed that fact. You know as well
a. do that one OF the very first ques-
tionS that was agitated before the
Federal Congress was the building of
a great post road across the CONT
nent to bind and hold the States to-
gether. They spent millions Of dol
lars in building the Cumberland Turn
pike, and we should have gone on
building Federal roads throughout the
United States if Watt had not invent
ed the steam engine, and If the iron
rail had not taken the place of the
macadamized road Then we aban-
doned Government aid to the dirt
road and gave Government aid to the
iron road. The great railroads that
reach across this continent were
built with Government aid, because
they were establishing post roads,
Now, my friends, we are coming
back to the starting point. Another
invention has come; the people Of
this country now are travelling in au-
tOmObiles as well as in railroad trains.
The mail, the most important single
business i'm the United States, j. be
ing delivered at the farmers door, in
stead of the farmer coming to the
town and taking his mail out of the
postoff1ce box. We are coming back
to the point where it is necessary
again for the people of the United
States to have a good system of pub
lie roads. The States have delegated
the power to the Federal Government
to aid in securing that system Of pub
lie roads. Why did they delegate that
power in the beginning? Because
they realized the necessity Of main
tanning and establishing road sys-
tenn. 1t is the duty Of the Federal
Government to vitalize that power.
For that reason for many years 4
have been in favor Of the Government
of the United States either establish
ing post roads or lending its aid to
the building of post roads throughout
the country. Tit il the only way you
can build them III the Government
had gone on in the work it COM
menced i'm the early part of the last
century when it started to build the
Cumberland Turnpike; if it had con-
tinued that work up to to-day, with
out any great burden resting on the
American people, we would have had
as magnificent a system OF roads in
the United States as you can find
in any of the continental countries Of
Europe But we abandoned it be-
cause we thought the railroads had
come to take it, place. Tit il far
more important to the great majority
of the people of the United States to
have road that carries their produce
from the farm door to the railroad
station and from the store in the
town back to IVY farm door than it
is to further develop great railroad
that will carry them to New York or
San Francisco. The exception is the
man who travels any great distance
or the railroad train; 1t il the every
day life Of the mass Of the American
people to travel along the dirt road
from their homes to the railroad sta
tons.
There is not country in Europe
that has established a system Of nat
ional highways that has not done so
without the aid of the central govern
ment. There were no good roads
worth peaking of in England as long
a. they maintained the Anticipated
system of local taxation alone to de-
velOp road system, and it was not
until the Parliament lent aid to the
building of good roads that a great
system Of roads was built up in Eng
land And the same is true Of France;
it took national aid to establish a
system of roads i'm France To-day
they have the greatest system Of
roads i'm the world.
III know that the opposition to this
argument is based on the fact that it