The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-05-09
HILLS ROAD TALK
AROUSES INTEREST

Friday was good roads day at the
Blossom Festival celebration here.
Samuel Hill. accompanied by 5. Ben
500. arriving with the members of the
Portland Commercial CLUB on the way
to The Dalles, and after luncheon
given in honor of himself and MIR.
Benson. delivered an address on good
roads at the rooms of the Commercial
club at | 80 in the afternoon. In his
speech MIR. Hill paid high tribute to
Governor West, who arrived on the
noon train from Portland to make
good roads talk before the members of
the Upper Valley Progressive Associa-
tiOn. IL am a Republican. said be,
while Governor West is a Democrat,
but let me tell you, gentlemen. he is
doing a good work in the state. -
Mr.. Benson, who was Hood Rivers
guest of honor, was given an ovation
by the people as an expression Of their
feeling toward him for his recent gift
of Sl0.O toward the construction Of
the Portland Hood River road
II know of no other man in the state
of Oregon who has ever made a dona-
tion toward road building, said Mr..
Hill, "and we will always look to S.
Benson as the pioneer in this good
work. Tie has placed the key in the
door that will open to good roads work
over the state and Is turning it. If
the work of opening the way of the
road is completed within a years time,
if that little hole is bored through, il
will not be long until you have one Of
the best roads in the world. 1t is a
road that will mean much not only to
your section of the country, but it will
be a work that will be of interest TO
the whole northwest, to the whole Pa
cifc coast and even to the whole of
America.
Through the ranges of mountains
that extendsfrom Alaska to southern
California there are but three clefts
through which we may pass. They are
the Frazier river, the Columbia river
and the Klamath river. The Colum-
bia is the greatest of them all. You
all remember two years ago, when for
weeks all the trains for California
passed over the lines along the banks
of the Columbia river. The same thing
happened last winter relative to the
trains for Seattle, when washouts oc-
Cured in Washington.
II am now having man paint ser
les of pictures of scenes between Port
land and Maryhill. my home. After
Ebert Hubbard had finished his talk
to the ad. men the other night, took
him over to my place and showed him
the pictures. Why, Mr.. Hill, he said,
If | had not seen those pictures |
would never have known anything at
all about the wonder of your country,
although | have Travelled through it
numberless times on the cars. Mr..
Benson with his donation is opening
the way that every one may see, not
the painting. but the real country. 1t
is a great work. Some of the rich
eastern people go to Europe. Many of
them spend their summers abroad.
Such roads, by which they will be able
to see the grandeur of the picturesque
northwest, will cause them to turn
their attention to their home country.
Don't think | exaggerate, for | really
believe it. when tell you that as soon
as the Portland road is completed you
will have on an average hundred
automobiles day coming with their
happy passengers to see you.
Mr.. Hill declared that the Portland
road to Hood River would be the logi-
cal way to go to California. while
the road through the Rogue River val
ley may be used not more than 80 days
out of the year." he said, 'the way by
Hood River, The Dalles and up the
Des Chutes and over into the Pitt river
country may be used every day in the
year. The state of California is al.
ready building roads to meet ours,
when we get ready to build.
''The most important question the
American people face is that of good
roads. 1t has cost Multnomah $24, 900 |
a mile to maintain her mud roads, and
Seattle has paid out more money than
this. You can build the best of mac
adam roads here with free labor for
SIC. 900 a mile and with convict labor
for 81, 500 a mile.
During the course of his talk, MIR. |
Hill mentioned the fight he is having
with the Pacific Telephone & Tele-
graph Co. al am going TO be in Port
land for some time, he said, 'for
am engaged in war with fifteen
million dollar trust, the telephone
trust" lie is president of the Home
l telephone Co. of cortland.
While here he greeted his old friend,
l.. A. Reed, with whom he was ac-
luainted in Minneapolis, where the
two began the practice of law. Dur
ing the course of his talk he paid a
tribute to his friend, Richardson, of
Maryhill, who was here during the fes-
tivaI visiting Mr.. and Mrs. C. r.
Bone. He's down here to learn some
Of your ideas.," said the good roads |
"and he already knows
about fruit. You ought to
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