The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-03-07

from which tours will be made to all
 parts of the State. The "Crest of ths Blue Ridge Highway" will become fa- nous throughout the entire world.
 Tho Tourist Travel.
 Colorado was wise enough toa3:cop- italize her scenery by building good roads as to make her scenic 9wo1- ders accessible; her. reward is now a total of $3.eoo,o ,ooe' a year from tourists. New England with one mountain as drawing card, received S75,ooo.0o0 last year from automo- bile tourists alone. Europe gets $15o,0oo,Ooo a year from tourists, much of it from American tourists. Within three years the Quebec-Miami Highway, Southern National Highway and the Pacific Coast Highway will be boulevard, the greatest highway in America, the greatest highway in history, reaching the greatest battle fields, the finest scenery, the archeo, logical wonder of our country; and it will be realized that the Asheville convention which convened on the an Riversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, always the, South's'r best friend, gave to the. lapd of Gen Rob ert E. Lee the grandeur and beauty of whose character is recognized by the Nation, and by the, English-speak- ing people as well, the greatest gift conferred upon herHnext to that Of the freedom-loving spirit of the; peo pie themselves,t Southern National Highway.
 For in its wake will come not mere ly the gleaming tide of tourist dol lars, but also men with the vision to appreciate the vast undeveloped re- sources of the South, and the capital to aid in their development. In this particular Charlotte is in line for a full share of the benefit for tourists can see in Charlotte the center of one of the greatest hyoro-electric devel- opments in the world, the Southern Power Company. When informed that Charlotte is also the center of the Interurban system that .unites- the towns and cities from Duran to Atlanta, or that will soon do so; that it is also the center of the cotton fac tory development of the South; that it is one of the three cities of the Nation showing in the Myers Park Suburban Development the highest type of the City Beautiful" and when added to all this it is known that in it's salubrious climate there are roses till Christmas and violets all the year; 1t will come to pass that tourists from Quebec, and Mon- treal, tourists from New England. tourists from the Pacific Coast, and tourists from abroad will include Charlotte in their itinerary; and some of them will come to stay.
 Aceruing Advantages.
 Even this does not exhaust the ben- eft fo the great highway. Everyone benefit by the tourist travel, but the chief benefit. will be to the man on the plantation, the farm, the ranch. The great highway will be but the backbone of a system of interstate, and city to city highways, and in ev cry county good roads will radiate from town to farm until every thing the farmer raises will move econom- ically to the market, the shipping point, the consumer The isolation of the farmers income will be increas- ed while the cost of living will be de- creased, the parcel post will equalize and afford an excuse for tim and spend millions of Federal money for better roads for the farmers in stead of bigger ships for the Navy. There will be better schools, better churches, better citizens, better gov ernment, and a more just and equal distribution of the opportunities, the comforts, and the rewards of Ameri- can life, energy and enterprise.
 I count it therefore a privilege to have been delegate to the Asheville convention and to issue this appeal to the IS States of the Southland, their Governors, their Legislatures, their Highway Commissions, their country road commissioners, their good roads associations, their editors, their min isters of the Gospel, their patriotic societies, their Representatives in the Senate, and House of Representative at Washington, the President of the United States, and the Congress soon to assemble to join heart and hand: in the work of building the Southern. National Highway, and a road to reach it from the humblest home in Dixie; in the simple faith that we are thus casting up a highway for the incoming of a higher type of civ