The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-19

That national government participa-
ton in the highways progress of the
country should first concentrate itself
upon main roads was the predominant
current of opirion in the Second Fed
eral Aid Good Roads convention, held
in Washington, d. c., during Inaugural
ton week. Called by the American
Automobile association. motoTist dele
gates, nevertheless, We're in the minor
ity. as general roads bodies and cham
bers of supplied the greater
part of the several hundred representa-
tiVeS from the 46 states, which in one
form or another were embraced in the
nationwide gathering. Members of
congress in many instances spoke for
their home organizations, and their ut
t~erances indicated growing knowledge
of the bigness of the subject.
one of the features of the convention
was the call at the White House, Presi-
dent Wilson receiving the delegates in
the east room and expressing to them
his great interest in highways i'm
provement. John A. Wilson. first vice
president of the A. A. A., introduced
the good roads advocates to the ma
ions chief executive. who paid a spe-
cial compliment to Chairman George
c. Diehl in reference to his executive,
G. Diehl in reference to his extensive
knowledge of the roads question.
The speakers Of the convention were
of national repute, the subject was
considered principally from a federal
standpoint, though reference was re-
peatedly made to the fact that state
systems of roads with county and
township tributaries were of prime i'm
portance and required thorough m
sid3ration in the rounding out of the
country's roads transportation prob
lem.
No more concrete summing up of the
situation was expressed than that en-
ployed by Charles B. Stetson, chair
man of the executive committee of the
national grange, who. in concluding his
address, said: I'VE do not believe that
federal aid means the appropriating of
national funds for local Improvement
of roads. 1t is certainly wrong to ask
national aid to do what properly be-
longs to the local community to per-
form, and in any good roads movement
the state is the unit to which the
municipality should look for aid, and the
state in turn to cooperate with the
national government for interstate
roads and other roads that are of suf-
ficient Importance to warrant the m
ployment of national aid in building.
Any other course is ~untenable, uncon-
stitutional and basically wrong. But
we do ask of the men who are trying,
and co~nscientiously trying, to build in
terState and transcontinental highways
to remember the necessity Of improv-
ing the road from the home to the
city of the man who is promoting the
great basic industry of our country to
the end that all the people in this great
country may ultimately be benefited"
Resolutions.
The committee on resolutions COM
prised a member from every one of
the 46 states which sent delegates, and
before Chairman T.. r. Speare and his
associates concluded their labors sew
eral sessions were required. In the
adoption of the committees report the
convention equivocally placed itself on
record as favoring a plan of interstate
roads, the preamble and resolution
reading as follows:
Whereas, In the development of our
country's transporting appliances for
man and goods from place to place, it
has become almost the universal will
of the people of the United States, and
with the national capital.