The Meeker herald., 1913-05-17
Shall United States Build Highways

tional legislature. Many senators and
representatives now believe that the
building of . system Of National
highways is Of more economic inn
portance than any other public work
more vital than the question Of Z
large navy, more useful than any
river and harbor improvements, more
necessary than the Panama Canal.
For highways are built and owned
by the people. A few years ago road
bills had short shrift In congress-at
present there are nearly hundred
bills before Congress dealing with
road building in one form or another.
Although the ''good roads" idea
has been gathering force and head
way for many years, its advocates are
still pulling In many directions.
Some road associations want State
Highways with National Aid. 9th
ers want State Highways without
National Aid. Still others want
good roads paid for by the counties
through which they pass, without
any aid. One, at least. believes Arm
ly that the question is not only one
for States, Counties, Cities and
Towns, but for the Nation.
The National Highways Associa-
tion believes that the beginning Of .
comprehensive good road system for
the Nation must be made by the Fed
eral Goyernment.
Such a system-ss outlined on the
maps published = consists OF fifty
Thousand miles of National High
ways. It is not intended that this
map should represent the entire good
road system needed by the United
States. 1t is merely tentative sug-
gestion of the National System of
National Highways. from which
good roads built by States, by coun-
ties, and by Cities and Towns, would
grow and multiply.
ROADS BREED ROADS
1t is universal experience that one
mile Of good road breeds another
mile. Put state wide, good road
down anywhere In this country. aud
In ten years there will be dozens Of
good roads reaching 1t from all parts
Of the State. Put down system Of
National Higbways. built and main-
tsinsd by the Nstional 0oyAspnenk,
and the varions State Legislatures
and County ofhcials would soon see
the advantages of connecting ell
parts OF the State with those Nat
ional roads.
There are two million miles of
roads in the United States. The fif-
ty thousand miles Of highway shown
on the map is but q fraction
over two per cent Of this mileage.
But improve these fifty thousand
miles into good roads by proper
maintenance. and fifty thousand
miles more would grow almost over
night. and then another fifty thou
sand and another and another, until
our great country, with it's huge ter
ritory, would be crossed and recrcss-
ed with good roads, rs France is to-
day.
France has national highways.
These are immense trunk line roads,
great arteries of commerce, and from
these the smaller roads are built by
the provinces Of France, just as the
states and counties Of our states will
build feeders and connections to
national system of highways.
II Frsnce-about the size of Texas
- needs national highways, how
much more do we, with our huge
territory, require them?
Many ideslists and dreamers have
proposed national road systems for
this country. Usually the system
has been worked out with q map,
ruler. a pencil and sublime faith.
Mountains, lakes, rivers and forests
form no obstacles to such visionary
road systems. The national nigh
ways system, as shown on this map,
is the product Of no such dream. The
highways indicated are either the
best present roads from point to
point. or what are. In the judgment
of q trained and experienced corps of
road engineers, the best ps'ssible and
practicable roads from point to point.
But these engineers, who worked
months on hundreds Of large scale
maps, and with the aid Of . nation
wide correspondence Of more than
fifteen Thousand personal letters ask
ing Information and advice know
this system Is only tentative. 1t is
but q suggestion. 1t is not intended
to be anything else. There must be
a beginning to everything, and little
headway can be made Without some
such careful plan from which to
start.