The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-01-30
George Tawney Talked
Good Roads Before the
~@ Triple Convention In Kato

Hon. George p. Tawney OF Win
ona addressed the triple conyen-
ton last night on the subject OF
Good Roads" He spoke as
follows:
The motive Of service dominates
the public spirit of today. Every
feature and phaze Of our civilization
Is being scrutinized as never before.
Injustice and oppression, error
omission, and inefficieney are being
Terrified out and exposed. The sum.
mcps TO improvement and advance
ment are being served on numerous
occasions and in many ways. We
are In the very throes OF great II
not revolutionary changes which are
but the response to the demands OF
quickened public consciousness for
real. true. Al-emhracing service.
In every one of our political
units attention is being given to the
Improvement of the conditions OF
our complex life In the political
arena there are few who aspire to
preferment who do not claim that In
some way they can achieve result
that will greatly benefit their fellow
man. Kind friends voluntarily do so
Tor those whose modesty precludes
the personal claim.
The individual learns by and
paws for experiences So does the body
of individuals known as society. Not
everything that is labelled reform"
will prove reformatory In a correct
ing sense. The performance will
often fall short of the promise.
But surcharging the zeal and de-
yotion to principals and purposes
which II Is sought enlarge the
liberties and increase the mental
and physical efficiency of the mass
of the people. beneath the froth and
foam Of whatever of pretense or
hypocracy there may be. is the
great motive CT service. Herein is
our comfort and our cheer, the
basis for our confidence and the
inspiration OF our hope. A peo-
pie WHO are great in character and
intelligence. in numbers, and In
material resources. when its mind
sAiu W
promptings and impulses of broad
minded and generous service. must
grow and develop In ways that
work TO their improvement and
advancement.
Problem OF Waste.
The demand for service and the
desire to serve Is in no way more
bcneficiaily concerned than in deal
ing with the great problems of
waste. Waste on every hand. of
natural resources of wars. of life and
LIES chiefest assets, mental and ply
sically. efficiency and happiness. And
In no pursuit that Is of general in
terest 10 the whole country. and
10 every community of the country
from the smallest to the highest.
has there been greater waste than
I'm that OF road building.
Good road building has received
some consideration I'm almost all
ages and countries but general and
systematic good road building could
not be said to be Characteristic of any
age or country before the last cen.
fury. and even now Il Is character.
istic OF but few countries. France.
Germany. England and Belgium are
pre-eminent in the general excellency
of their highways, for so persistent
have they been in building good
roads that with them a poor road
is an exception and bad one q
rarity. ...
In 1911, France had 51S.914 miles
of roads divided into FIVE classes,
23.7ii miles Of national roads con,
Meeting the more important cities
and towns: S.156 miles OF
department roads connecting less
important cities and towns: 1906. $50
miles OF vicinal roads OF through
travel: 47.225 miles OF vicinal roads
of common interest: 1I7.336 miles
Of vicinal roads situated within q
single commune; and i55,3I6 miles
OF rural or unimportant neighborhood
roads. The cost of construction
ranged from $4,000 per mile for
rational roads TO $4,000 per mile for
ordinary yicinal roads. The cost oil
maintenance I'm 1911 ranged from
S49.10 for ordinary vicinal roads ia
s2Sf.69 cents per mile for national
roads. The government has exclu
sive Jurisdiction of national roads
and general supervision of all trans
.portation by land or water.
French Road System.
AT the risk of wearying you
have submitted this data that yot
may have n correct understanding
of the completeness OF the French
read system but with no thought o
suggesting a like system for oul
country. France with her denss
population and her 5ls.914 miles o
road can do and has done what tb,
United States with her less dens,
population and her 2,250.000 miles
Of roads cannot now do. Wer,
political and geographical considera
tions tractable the financial problem
could not be made so. But 1t doe
not follow that our government can
not or ought not do a great worI
in the matter OF good roads. or tina
a policy as to good roads canno
be devised, which. with co-opera