El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-23

southwestern Colorado and southern
Utah are the remains OF a pre-Colum-
bian civilization dating back at least
1000 years. Within sight OF the south
ern highway in Lincoln county, New
Mexico. is a prehistoric irrigating wall
of stone, starting at a spring, three
fOurths of a mile long, six feet wide at
the base and 50 inches high at the
point of best preservation. with a grove
or trough in the ton to carry the water.
In the region referred to there are
thousands on thousands OF ruins, 10
the south, Of adobe; to the north, Of
resses, cities; some in valleys, some on
meSas some on flat-tOpped mountains,
some, like the cliff dwellings, hidden
away in lonely canyons underneath
mighty overhanging cliffs. All We're
deserted in 1910, when the Spaniards
entered the land Then, by lateral
roads, easily accessible, are the petrl-
fled forests, the Grand canyon or the
Colorado. the weird Pueblo indian life
and the thousand other attractions that
constitute this, the Wonderland Of
America"
Heart of Producing Area.
Then. too, there is an increasing
number of the Wealthiest and most
powerful citizens of the United States
Canada and Great Britain, who tour a
continent to see, not its scenery or its
antiquities, but its growing cities, its
corn and cotton producing areas, its
pasture lands, with their direct bearing
on the rising cost of meat; its mineral
resources and waterpowers and all its
undeveloped resources These are the
men mainly who were kept in mind at
Asheville. Another route might have
been taken, east of Memphis, that
would have led more nearly through
the heart of the sOuth's industrial, COM
mercial and manufacturing develop
ment. but no other route would have
bisected the other roads that reach out
on either side to every part of Dixie, -
while the region actually traVerSed
need offer no apology for its unfolding
panorama of southern progress.
To Build Road ut Once.
We aim at the immediate smoothing
out of every rough place on the road
and the steady Improvement OF the road
by state. district, county and township
bond issues, or in the use of the usual
road and bridge funds Since the Ashe-
vile convention and under the stimulus
of our national association, almost
$4,000, 900 have been voted for the i'm
prOvement of sections of this road
But, looming large above all this is
the distinct purpose to go to Washing
ton next winter and ask the govern
ment of the United States to designate
this as @'the Southern National High
way" and to build, own and maintain
it forever as such. In loyalty to the
convention which met at the call of
the southern governors, we, who
Obeyed the call expect thdt everyone
of those governors, and every senator
and representative from the south, will
support in congress the Southern Ma
tiOnal Highway" bill and that all the
good roads leaders in the south, with
all commercial bodies and all southern
newspapers and southern preachers and
educators will Join in seeking to enlist
and unite all hearts and hands in this
great, patriotic uprising of the south
land to once more make herself a most
vital part of the national life.
And when the bill for the Southern
National Highway" is passed up to the
president for his signature, it will
reach a man who, last October. at At
lantic City said: 1T is of the most
fundamental Importance that the United
States should think together, should
think ultimately as a whole. and I feel
In my enthusiasm for good roads.
something of the old opposition that
there always has been in me to any
Kind of sectional feeling" The man
VINO uttered those words will not veto
a bill that means more than anything
else that could possibly be devised to
break down sectional feeling and bind
north and south, west and east in the
bond Of national unity.