The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-03-29
FEDERAL AID FOR HIGHWAYS
Considered by Representatives from
46 States

I'VE nave the nOnOF 10 report 10
you our return from Washington, D.
c., where, in compliance with your
appointment, we represented Yer
mont at the Second Federal Aid
Good Roads convention held March 6
and z insts
THE state was further represent
ed by Col. H. e. Parker, H. W. Rick
er. Senator C. s. Page. J. G. Ullery,
Max j. Bowel and George X. Put
nam, appointees of the Automobile
club of Vermont.
"The convention, which was held I'm
der the auspices of the American Au-
tomobile association, convened at the
Raleigh hotel Thursday morning,
March 6, the object of the meeting
as set forth in the circular Of invita-
ton, being ITO involve, logically, the
national government in the highways
progress of the country and to fur
Their discussion and action which shall
produce a plan, satisfactory to the
roads advocates of the various states"
The interest nthe subject was man
ifested by the large number OF dele
gates present, there being represen-
tatives from 46 states Several con-
gressmen were in attendance repre-
senting. variously, the automobile
clubs and associations of their res
pective states and cities.
THE convention was opened at 10
o'clock by I4aurens Enos of Buffalo,
president of the American Automobile
association. who introduced George
C. Diehl of Buffalo, chairman of the
good roads board of the three associa-
tons. as chairman of the convention.
"One of the interesting features ofo
the convention was the call at the
White House Thursday afternoon.
president Wilson received the
guests in the east room and express
ed to them his great interest in high
ways improvement. John A. Wilson,
first cousin to the president and first
vice-president of the American Auto
mobile association, introduced the
good roads advocates to the nations
chief executive, who paid special com
pliment to Chairman George c. Diehl
in reference to his extensive know
ledoo Of tho roads question.
Notable among the distinguished
and interesting speakers were NJ.
Jean de Pulligny, director of the
French mission of engineers and chief
engineer of roads and bridges OF
France, who outlined the work which
France is doing in the building OF
good roads. He said that from his
observation in this country, good
roads should either be built by the
federal authorities or by the states un
der federal supervision. and he argu-
ed also, in behalf of a plan for the
larger communities helping the small
Ter ones in the building of good roads.
Dorsey w. Shackleford of Nilsson
ri, vice chairman of the joint commit
tee on federal aid for the 62nd Con
gress. and Congressman Station War.
burton of Tacoma. Washington, both
of whom had formulated plans of in
terstate and trans-continental system
of highways together with sugges-
tons as to measures for securing fed
eral aid in their construction. That
of Mr. Shackleford called for the con-
nection of the rural post roads with
the railroad stations such roads to be
state and federal funds, and the So
called Shackleford bill, embodying
this idea passed the House of Con-
gress but was defeated in the Senate.
mfr. Warburton's bill, as GU lined
in a bill now before Congress. Is for
the government to assist in the con-
struction and maintenance of sys-
tenn of roads connecting state capt.
tails and important cities OF upwards
of 10000 inhabitants.
Thomas ]. lyman, warden of the
Colorado state penitentiary, describ-
ed Interestingly the system practiced
in that state of employing convict
labor in road construction, illustrat-
ing with lantern slides. He said:
81 am convinced that the men who
leave our prisons are more cruel and
cunning than when they enter. Sew
enty per cent of the men in prison
should not be confined there"
"In arguing for convictbuilt roads
he declared that in two years in Colo
RADIO only 1.5 per cent of the men
placed on road work on their honor
escaped. He argued in favor of an
adult parole law.
"The question of improved roads
was considered principally from the
federal standpoint. though reference
was repeatedly made to the fact that
state system of roads with county
and township tributaries were of
prime importance and required
thorough consideration in the round
s,,u ~ hn tran Arfo
ton problem.
mo more accurate summoning up
of the situation was expressed than
that employed by Charles b. Stetson
chairman of the executive committee
of the National Grange, who. in con-
Guiding his address, said; I'VE do
not believe that federal aid means
appropriating of national funds for
the local improvement of roads. II
is certainly wrong to ask national aid
to do what properly belongs to local
communities to perform, 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 sufficient i'm
portance to warrant the employment
of national aid in building.
ANY other course is untenable, I'M
constitutional and basically wrong.
But we do ask of the men who are
trying. and oonscientiously trying. to
build interstate and trans-continent-
al highways to remember the neces-
sity Of improving the road from the
home 10 the city Of the man who is