Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-03-01
SHALL u. S. BUILD
NATIONAL ROADS


Representative now believe that the
building OF a system of National
Highways is of more economic i'm
portance than any other public work
more vital than the question OF d
large navy, more useful than any
river and harbor improvement, mora
necessary than the Panama Canal.
For Highways are built and owned
by the people and are free to all
the people. A few years ago road
bills had short shrift in Congress
at present there are nearly a hun
dred 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 Ma
tional Aid. Still others want good
roads paid for by the counties thru
which they pass, without any aid
One, at least, believes firmly that
the question is not only one for
| States, Counties, Cities and Towns
but for the nation.
The National Highways Association
believes that the beginning Of a com
| prehensiye good road system for the
Nation must be made by the Federal
Government.
Such system-as outlined on the
map published here-consists OF fifty
thousand miles of National High
ways. 1t 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 COCO
roads built by States, by counties
and by Cities and Towns, would grow
and multiply.
1t is universal experience that one
mile of good road breeds another
mile Put a statewide, good road
down anywhere in this country and
in ten years there will be dozens OF
good roads reaching it from all parts
of the State, Put down system OF
National Highways, built and main
tanned by the National Government,
and the various State Legislatures
and County officials would soon see
the advantages of connecting all
parts of the States with those Ma
tional roads.
There are two million miles OF
roads in the United States The fiji
ty thousand miles Of highway shown
ON the map is but a fraction over
two per cent of this mileage. But
improve these fifty thousand miles
into good roads, and keep them good
roads by proper maintenance, and III
Nv thousand miles more would grow
almost over night, and then another
fifty thousand and another and anoth
ar until our great country, with It's
hinge territory would be crossed and
recrogsed with good roads, as France
is to-day.
France has National Highways
These are immense trunk line roads,
great arteries of commerce, and IRON
these the smaller roads are built by
fbe provinces of France, just as the
States and Counties Of our states
will build feeders and connections TO
National System of Highways
If France-about the size OF IeXas
needs National Highways, now
much more do we, with our huge ter
ritory, require them
MANY idealists and dreamers nave
nroDosed National Road Systems Tor
mic country. Usually the system
has been worked out with a map,
ruler a pencil, and sublime faith
Mountains. lakes, rivers and forests
form, M obstacles to such visionary
road systems. The National HIGH
,yavs system. as shown on this map
Is the product of no such dream
The highways indicated are either
tho hest present roads from point 10
mint or what are, in the judgment
~ a trained and experienced corps OF
road engineers. the best possible ana
practicable roads from point 10 poll''
Rut these engineers, who worked
months on hundreds OF large scaie
mans and with the aid OF natioh'
wide correspondence Of more thal LIZ
teen thousand personal letters ask
,a information and advice know
this system is only tentative. 1t IS
INIT a suggestion. 1t is not intend
ed to be anything else. There must
be beginning to everything ana
little headway can be made Without
some such careful plan from which to
start.
Study the map and see where your