The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-11-27
AMERICA AHEAD IN
ALL BUT ROAD BUILDING
(By Hon. Claude A. Swanson)

(By Hon. Claude A. Swanson)
We have established our supremacy
in nearly every line oil human enGeaV-
or. We have built by patriotic sacrl-
fees a navy second to only Great
Britain in the great powers OF the
world. We today manufacture more
goods than all OF Britain and Europe
combined. In railroads, mileage OF
railroads and facilities OF transpor-
tation OF that kind, we are unsur-
passed. The granaries of the world
are on the plains Of America. We
rank supreme in finance, and the
banking capital of the United States
exceeds that Of any nation in the
world, and the worlds financial heart
no longer throbs in London-it beats
in New York, and it's pulsations affect
the world. We have accomplished all
this, and yet in the most important
matter OF all in connection with hui
man development, and the develop
ment OF the country we are far pc
hind all the civilized nations OF the
world. Now, why? Why Is it that we
establish u supremacy in every
line OF human e%ndeayor, yet when II
comes to road construction, our mud
dy country roads are a disgrace to
US and a disgrace to any civilized
people?
Now, there must be some reason
for it. 1t has been the system OF road
construction that has prevailed IN
America. The Federal Government
tries to unload it on the states; the
states try to unload it on the counties;
the counties try to unload 1t on the
farms adjoining the public roaus;
each striving to shift its proper DUR
den to other shoulders, and 1t IS ny
that system that we are cursed Win
this w~retched system Of roads that
is a disgrace to America.
HOW did our system Of highways
commence? In old times the King Oh
Great Britain mad no money IN mis-
treasury. He had no armies, no ma
vies; and he required the King
highway to be kept up through every
county and every farm through when
it passed, and that work was the
contribution to national power, ma
| tional greatness, and to the Kings
Treasury. That wretched system
continued in England until II was
NEARLY impossible to go ten miles out
of London. But in the eighteenth CEN
tury Great Britain saw the folly OF 1t;
| she saw it was utterly impossible 10
tax farms and communities to con-
| struct a road that was OF more ma
tional. than local interest; n the
parliament of Great Britain started the
system of making appropriations 1or
| certain roads entirely out OF 'the
| british treasury. Other roads were
huilt by a Joint action Of parliament
and the local communltles; otIef
| roads entirely local we're built by 10
cal communities. BY that comDlnatlon
Great Britain progressed in road
building, and in a half century her
roads were model roads and were
| initiated in all parts Of the world:
| wish to make this assertion, that
there is not a state in this Union that
mas good roads today, that they
haven't built by a combination OF
| state expenditure with county or 10
cal expenditures.
In the. last three OF four years IN
| Virginia more. than six hundred miles
of hard surface road has been Duiit
Isimply by an extension of state alo
Fro local communities. What did the
:ocal communities do? They issued
| ,onds until in some instances they
| furnished nearly ten times as much
as the state did.
The time has now arrived for red
eral aid to good roads. If there IS a
marty in the United States that Toes
not favor it, if there is a president or
man in power that does not favor II
| and stands as a bar to the develop
ment work. that. party n tnat MAJ
| should be put down before ne WIZ
have a chance to say that the goou
roads in this country would be a
hinderance to our civilization n 10
our ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Farm