The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1913-08-01
PERTINENT news OF
STATE With OUR
own Comment

According to the Capital News
Hon. Dow Dunning, the Owyhee
county sage and politician, will be
candidate for representative in Con-
gress He is Democrat and will
seek the Democratic nomination.
While Mr. Dunning is seeking the
longest way around in order to get
into Congress, we trust that he will
get the nomination. Mr.. Dunning
has served in three sessions of the
Idaho legislature and still is consid-
cred perfectly sane. The fact shows
that he is a man of great stamina. He
is inclined to progressive ideas, one
of them being that the abolition of
the state senate would be a good
thing for the people of Idaho. If he
would abolish both houses of the leg
islature The Tribune could support
Mr.. Dunning is farmer, sheepman
on the Owyhee range he advocates
the removal of the protection on
wool. He was the man who raised
the money by penny subscriptions to
pay the fines of Messrs. Broxon, Sher-
idan and Cruzen, who were found
to be in contempt of court. The Cap
ital News naturally looks upon him
with favor. Aside from the fact that
he will probably not get the Demo-
cratic nomination and the further fact
that in case of his nomination he will
fail of election, The Tribune is con-
WINGED that he is about the likliest
candidate in this immediate section
of the state.
Good Roads and How they are Built.
Unfortunately The Tribune re-
ceives the Salmon River Sun, pub
lished at Whitebird, most Irregular
ly. The Columns of this paper would
be brighter and more interesting if
the Sun came oftener. The best that
we can do is to give our readers the
advantage of such glimpses as we get.
At present the subject of good
roads is foremost in the eyes of the
public. A history of the origin and
development of good highways, re-
duced to half column should be well
come. We get the following from
the Sun.
Mesozoic reptiles were the first road
builders A dinosaur clambered up
some fern-clad bank. In his bungle
some progress he crushed down rank
vegetation and left behind him crude
trail which invited the scrutiny of his
next scaly associate. Up went he.
And others, without number, until
some sort of plastered path marked
the crudest of the worlds first good
roads.
From Dinosaur to COW, there's a
sandwich of indefinite years. Geolo-
gy and progress mark time by the mil
lions of centuries. But that is neither
here nor there. We are principally
concerned with that venturesome COW
which plunged through dense under
growth to new pastures, for intelli-
gence had now become sin; imita-
ton its evidence. From that moment
on, all self-respecting cows used the
same trail. And here was road in
deed, circuitous, leisurely following
the paths of least resistance, but trod
free of impediment.
From COW to man and man to Ro-
man is but historical didoe, accom-
plished in a flash. Other two-legged
beings preceded the Roman, and some
built what they thought were roads.
The Egyptian did, the Babylonian did,
the Greek did. To no enduring pur-
pose 1t took the Roman to conquer
the world with good roads, ad to leave
the world properly impressed with
what roads could accomplish. To this
day, the Apian Way typihes Rome
and Rome's substantially. Through
the centuries it stands forth as an
emblem of justice made swift, OF mill.
tary preparedness, commercial and
social supremacy.
But it was the Macadam, ruggedly
Scotch, who brought all past knowl.
edge to bear upon the problem OF
good roads. Macadam had the in
stinct of the dinosaur, the initiative
ness of the COW, the reason of the Ro-
man plus what had been accomplish
ed meantime. From Macadam to the
Idaho State Highway commission Is
such a trivial thing that it doesn't
really matter. In spirit, If not in fact.
he was the commissions first presi-
dent.
And SO it happens, from Dinosaur
past Macadam, Idaho believes in SUI
perior highways, and believes its citi-
zenship in a position to appreciate the
urgent necessity for magnificent sys-
tenn of good roads penetrating the
state and binding it together more
compactly, reaching out to the north
and the south, in order that anyone
may drive wagon or auto from Bear
Lake to Bonner.
Under the newly-inaugurated sys-
tenn of road building state and coun-
ty. country and city. and small town.
have an excellent opportunity to
work hand in hand so that the good
roads cause may be benefited and
something permanent come Of their
expenditures. Good roads mean pay
ing farms. busy merchants. prosper
Gus banks. social interchanges. They
mean all that civilization means, for
time out of mind man has conquered
the wilderness by means of cartwheel
tracks and knowledge disseminated
over good roads of his own making
Letting selishness ket the upper
hand. we may add that "the commits
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