El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-28

CU ? HENEVER you show a man
NJ that by giving you quarter
he can obtain in return from
you seventy-five cents, he is going
to come across with the quarter.
America is essentially a commercial
nation. Good roads, therefore, if
they are to be general, must be adj
vocated on a national basis. If tnss
national appeal is to strike home it
must be a practical one The practical
phase of good roads is obvious.
Good roads increase property Valua-
tiOn-a piece of real estate is valuable,
as a rule, in proportion to the number
of people who pass it daily. Town prop
erty viii increase in value as the town
becomes more important, as the people
coming in contact with the town IN
crease umerically-and that is exactly
what happens to 4 town when farmers
can get to it. Good roads leading into
q town mean wealth coming into the
pockets Of its local business men. COun-
try people come to town to spend mon
ey Good roads give country people an
added incentive for coming to town ana
spending their money. If you are
town merchant or 4 town banker you
want that great wealth Of the country
diverted your way. support good roaGs
it's the proper business thing to do.
The Farmers Big Gain.
But, of all those who make money
out of good roads, the farmer reaps thu
biggest benefit suppose you own
farm Of 100 acres. suppose road
skirts it on one side-one mile Of road,
let US say. Suppose that road is clay
and. gets hub deep in the winter. Then
suppose the county should change 1t TO
god macGdGm pike and that your
share of the expense amounted to
$1,000 course you know the gross
expense would be borne by the town
ship on q basis of the total physical
valuation.
When the road is finished, your farm
Will actually be worth something like
IS more on the acre-the increased ease
and frequency with which yOn are. now
enabled TO get to your place OF market
pacity Of at least IS per acre on your
leo acres. Thus, by eZpending 500 you
have put $500 in your pocket and you
will probably have obtained th6
greater Tart of the $500 before your
road tax is payable.
Then. Mr. Farmer, figure it this way.
If our great proposed national high
ways go through, little of that mon
ey of yours which the government COM
pels you TO pay in the form Of tax. viii
possibly be spent on that road right In
front of your hOuSe--Ift not there, on
a road which will be easily accessible
to you
Good roads are not a liability-they
are an asset. They don't cost you mon
ey-they make you money 1t isn't
question of whether or not you can af-
in the world can you get money enough
together to do without them. Lack Of
good roads costs like the mischief. The
most expensive road in the world IS the
one you can't use
Bad roads wear out wagons, ruin
horses make it possible for you to get
to town when your farm stuff viii
bring the tOp-notch price, depreciate
the value of your land. tend to make
you a hermit to keep you out Of touch
with things, and thereby to make you
a poorer money maker.
When the transcontinental roads ara
finished you will be on the main line
with San Francisco and New 7 OrlS.
Tourists will pass your door daily 40
either leave some of their money with
you or with the fellow down the road
a little way who owes you money, and
who viii thereby be made more able to
pay you.
The completion Of these roads will
make a metropolitan man of the farm
err It will tend to make city values
of farm values When the big roads
are done, you can devote yourself a
little more to truck raising-that most
valuable pastime of the real former
and you can oct your truck to town
while it is still fresh and while it win
demand the best price. You can make
more money. off your cows because you
can haul fresh milk to the creamery
this is much better than churning IL
yOurself-it means less work and more
money and quicker money.
For the life Of me, 1 cannot see why /