Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-20
GOOD ROADS QUESTION
MOST IMPORTANT ONE
Seven More States Create
Road Departments-System
of Federal Aid Necessary.

While the effort to obtain national gov
eminent participation in the highways
progress of the country accumulates force
the various states, one after another, are
adopting legislation providing for the es-
Enlistment of state highway depart
ments. According to information re-
ceived by the A. A. A. national good
roads board, which keeps in touch with
the state automobile bodies and aids ma
terially in their work, there will be, as a
result of recent legislative action, road
departments in Maine. Montana. Missouri,
Colorado. Idaho, Arkansas and Texas.
This makes plainly apparent that the
move for federal action has not caused
any laying down. on the part of the
states, which have their proper part to
perform in the general roads develop
ment.
OF the addresses given at the second
federal aid convention in this city, called
by the national good roads board, none
contained a more comprehensive summing
up of the situation than the remarks OF
Representative William p. Borland Of
Missouri, who. among other things, said:
Il believe that the good roads question
is the biggest question, without exception,
now facing the American people. In Con-
gress we are trying earnestly and sin
cerely to deal with this problem of the
extent and character of federal control
and federal aid to good roads There are
difficulties confronting us.
What Federal Aid Means.
Some of us believe in a continuous
system of roads: roads that so some
where: roads that give us the benefit of
the scientific progress of engineering skill
that has been developed in connection
with road building. We believe that fed
eral aid, if it comes at all-and it must
come-must mean better type of roads
long roads. roads Of higher class, roads Of
more permanent character, roads that
go somewhere, roads that mean some
thing in the development of the country.
Il want to say to you, frankly, that
the easiest proposition to get through any
legislative body Is not a proposition that
really means betterment: but a PROPOSE
ton that distributes it's little advantages
as widely as possible If we could take
little federal money or good deal Of
federal money, or as much federal money
as We could lay our hands on, whatever
the amount might be, and spread it out
over every road district in the United
States and put 1t in the hands of the ex
listing road overseers for the existing sys-
tenn of roads, and not ask anything in re-
and the most tremendous unanimity of
opinion back of it that any legislative
proposition could possibly get. There is
no doubt about that
But here is the idea that must occur
to every thinking man. We do not have
to improve the 100000 miles of highways
In the United States. That need not stag
ger any mans imagination. Experience
has shown, at the very threshold Of this
subject, that 80 per cent Of all the traf-
fic on roads goes over less than 10 per
cent of the roads. If we had a system Of
good roads leading fairly into every sec
ton of the country, within the reasonable
reach of the majority of the citizens and
producers and taxpayers Of the country,
that system would be vast advantage
over the present system of isolated local
control of highways.
If We can bring that about by a spirit
of self-sacrifice and co-cperation-not nee
essarily with any stubbornness pride
of Opinion-but If we can get together on
the idea that 1t is better to have some
good roads than 1t is to have no good
roads, then We will all get behind some
proposition and accomplish something for
good roads; and it is going to take that
spirit Of cooperation and self-sacrifice
to bring about legislation