Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-06-25
GOOD ROADS ISSUE
PLAN is TO SECURE BUILDING OF
HIGHWAYS FROM ONE STATE
TO ANOTHER.
"P0RK BARREL BILL" DENIED
Members Declare That Improvement
Would Affect Farming Country
Just as Much as 1t viii Cities
Railroads Now Favor Idea.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

washing lOu.-NOW ludl the IOWCI
house is certain to have good roads
committee with large membership,
all kinds of plans are being suggested
by which to improve the highways of
the country. There are evidences al
ready that good roads to a consider
able extent are to be what General
Hancock called the tariff, "A local is
sue
Members say that of course it is
TO be the main plan of the good roads
propaganda to secure the building OF
highways from state to state, continu-
Gus roadways which can be used IN
interstate commerce and thereby
"clinch their constitutionality." Some
senators and representatives say that
the intimation that good roads ap-
preparation bill will be pork barrel
bill as the public buildings bill for
years has been called is mistake.
They add that good roads will affect
farming country and small outlying
communities just as much as they will
the cities and country adjacent to the
city, and that therefore the general
distribution of the favors" will pre-
vent great opposition from any quar-
ter to good road building, provided 1t
does not cost so much as to make
the benefits of less value than the
money expended.
Movement Becomes Popular.
The good roads movement in con-
gress has taken on a more rapid gait
recently than it ever strobe at before.
Once On time there was a strong
feeling among the members of both
houses that good roads legislation was
unconstitutional unless it could be
clearly proved that the benefits were
20 be nationwide and to be of large
service to interstate commerce. Some
years ago a southern senator intro
1uced bill appropriating 100000 for
a start at good roads construction
He maintained that if the highways
constructed ran from one state to
another, and were used for purposes
Of trade between states, all question
of the constitutionality of the meas
Tre would be answered.
This argument was combated by
he strict constructionists, who de-
clared that it was only another way
Of beating the devil around the
stump"
1t is said that next to the biological
turvey the office of good roads be-
came the most popular bureau of the
agricultural department. Letters by
the thousands were written from all
over the United States to senators
and representative asking that the
appropriation for the Office of good
roads be increased in order that the
work of the specialists could be ex-
tended. Congress did vote more
money for the roads bureau and
finally, under the spur of the letters
from the people, members who had
doubted the constitutionality of gen.
eral roads building by the government
began to study the question, and seem
ingly good many Of them have be-
come converted.
Railways Are Won Over.
The railroads recently have been
taking an interest in the good roads
proposition. It might naturally be ex-
pected that the railroads would feel
no particular interest in good roads,
because If they were to be used for
interstate commerce purposes, 1t
would seem that they would take
away business from the rail carriers.
The railroad men, however, seem to
have come to the conclusion that If
good roads are built the agriculturist
will get lot of his products to the
railroad station for shipment which
otherwise he could not get there or
would not like to try to deliver be-
cause of the bad road difficulties in
the way.
Members say it must not be taken
fer granted that large appropriations
Immediately will be forthcoming for
good roads projects. The senate is
still largely to be won over to the
cause, and moreover an immense
amount of study will be necessary
before definite plan for beginning
the work can be developed 1t is
probable that when the first great
pIOJ0Ct Is uuuSI way there VIII De
public hearings, and an attempt will
be made to get the views On tho sub
ject from the country jewellers par
ticularly.
Patronage and Lobbying.
The charges, if they can be call
ed direct charges, which Senator
Townsend of Michigan made against
President Wilson to the effect that
the chief executive was the big
gest lobbyist of them all" has brought
to the minds of good many Washing
ton correspondents, and officials too,
for that matter, the constant recur-
ring charges of like nature which have
been made against presidents for
years, generally in the heat of debate
and under the stress of partisan feel
ing.
Senator Townsend said before the
senate committee which was investi-
eating the lobby matter that the in
fiuence welded by President Wilson
and by the Democratic secret caucus