The Cecil Whig., 1914-11-21
LINCOLN HIGHWAY

in the desert, through prairie and
woodland, past cornfields and mead
ows, across mighty rivers and noun
tain passes, now sweeps from sea to
sea. 1t seems indeed a splendid type
of the Union of the sister States and
Lincoln's mighty task, in face of which
he declared his paramount object was
"to save the Union"
Beginning with the work of Lincoln
Memorial Road Association in June,
1910, which planned memorial high
way from Washington to Gettysburg,
the idea of Lincoln highway from
New York to San Francisco has de-
veloped little by little, until today the
markers are in place over rs per cent.
of the way and hundreds of tourists
already have made the journey along
the chosen route. The markers have
a large blue letter l. on white ground,
a strip of red above ard of blue below
and the word Lincoln Highway in
smaller letters. 1t is expected that by
the spring of 1915 all the markers will
be in place throughout the course and
that during 1915, the Panama Pacific
Exposition year, thousands of tourists
will follow the. path thus made plain.
Membership List Open.
Thousands of dollars worth of ce-
ment have been placed in many of the
inland States for the building of what
are called the Seeding miles," exam
pie and incentive for local road-build-
ers. The project is being put through
by private enterprise. OF the total
cost $10,000,000 (less than half is to
be raised by public subscription and
$5,OOO,00O already is pledged. Persons
are urged to become members of the
association by sending So to the Lin
coin Highway Association, Detroit,
Mich. This registers them as members
and supplies them an emblem for a
motor car. Maps of the United States
showing the highway and its tributar-
les will be sent to anyone on receipt
of 81, addressed as above.
The highway serves more than 80
per cent. of the population of the
United States and is directly available
to 81 per cent. of the registered auto
mobiles. 1t has been planned as the
shortest route from coast to coast
save the path of the -pilot-and
is 20S miles shorter than any railroad
connection. The highway is to be free
OF tolls except, perhaps, at the bridge
over the Mississippi river at Clinton,
Iowa.
Crosses Thirteen States.
President Wilson has urged that the
markers be set up on the road be-
tween Philadelphia and Washington,
thus to lead the memorial highway
across the Mason and Dixon line and
so express more fully the idea of ma
tional unity. The change in the route
itself seemed not possible because of
work already done by Pennsylvania
west of Philadelphia. As it now stands
the States which will be crossed or
touched by the highway itself are 13
in number, the original number of the
American Union. They are New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyom-
ing, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Cali
fornia.
These States in a measure summar-
lze the national activities and history.
Though New England is not repre-
esnted, nor yet the distinctively South
ern States, nevertheless PHILADELPHIA.
City of Brotherly Love, was, after all,
long the capital of the United States,
the meeting place for all the great
men of the Revolutionary time from
North and South. New York was the
scene of Lincoln's great Cooper Union
speech, which did so much to declare
him to the country. 1t ended with a
saying which has eshoed to the Ameri-
can people with heartening cheer in
many dark hour since: "Let us have
faith that right makes might and in
that faith let US to the end dare to do
our duty as we understand it." Here
are plain marching orders for every
Wayfarlng man, woman and child
Distance Is 34OO Miles.
A light motorcar has made this trip
in 30 days. The distance is 3400 miles,
doubtless the longest road in the
world.
The project has aroused increasing
enthusiasm in the States through
which the highway runs. In New Jer-
sey the old Plank road has been re-
named Lincoln way. 1t is a magnif- !
cent boulevard and one of the most
notable sections of the main highway.
The project of the Penn Memorial |
bridge between Pennsylvania and New |
Jersey on the route of the highway
has been revived. Philadelphia is |
marking the route through her con-
hnes at her own expense. Through |
Ohio it follows the Market Route No. |
3, already chosen for maintenance by |
the State. Indiana had no highway |
department, but the counties visited |
by the Lincoln highway have shown
patriotic zeal, and by 1915 will have
every foot of the route across the |