The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-07-08
Note-This 10 the third INSTALL
ment Of the address by Addison
c. Harrison Of the Centerviile
Good Roads celebration:

Now what is the best thing a man
can do at any given time? It is to
exercise his patriotic duty to benefit
himself. and his fellows as most he
may. II it be time of war, then to
maintain the flag OF our country. If it
be time of peace, then to help make
the country better and the people hap
pier. Now that it is patriotic motive
that has brought the chairman to
bring about this great meeting of
Wayne county people here today.
What can you do? Why every nation,
ancient or modern, has always provid-
ed for its people good roads. Tell me
what roads there are In a country and
] will tell you what kind of people
there are or you tell me what kind Of
people there are and I will tell you
what kind OF roads there are.
Now Africa is a populous country
Don't they have any roads in Africa :?
They have plenty of bananas and fruit
there. They raise little corn. They
don't have to have any clothes of any
consequence. Living Is cheap don't
you know and they get along well
enough. We ought to be like a mis-
sionary who went over to Africa to
make his home there with these black
people and halp elevate them in the
scale of civilization. He took a bicycle
with him. He had been in the habit
of riding a. bicycle on good roads and
when he got over there and couldn't
ride bicycle on the rought rugged
paths through the jungle. he tried to
move those people to improve the
roads SO it would be fit for bicycle.
How It Worked.
Well, you couldn't move them by
argument or by persuasion but they
would move only at the command of
the chief. Now what did this mission
airy do? He was a good politician.
He went and bought two bicycles and
gave one to the chief and one to the
chiefs favorite wife and then all at
once. don't you know, there was a
motion for good roads so the chief and
his wife could ride Now that is what
you want to do here and that is what
is coming here You have always got
to awaken an interest to arouse people
to do something. They can't do every
thing at once-only one thing at
time
Now here is a new vehicle. 1t is
almost as new to use and strange as
1t was a few years agon and as a
bicycle was to the poor blacks in At
rica-a vehicle that travels without a
horse, vehicle that don't shy,
vehicle that makes every man glad. 1t
has come and the people of Indiana
are starting to bring about roads suit.
able to this new vehicle of business
and pleasure. And a road no more is
local affair.
When l came from indianapolis
here this morning l noticed three
vehicles on the road-three auto
mobiles. One was bearing banner
showing that 1t came from Chicago.
The next one had number on it
slowing that 1t was from Ohio and
the third had banner and number
which showed that it was from Oregon
and said that is the best proof that
this is coming to be a National road
when the people from the East and
the West come to ride across our
beautiful state of Indiana. l will do
my part and everybody else will do
his part and soon we will make the
roads in Indiana as good as in Ger.
many or France or Rome.
Rome has great people. You have
heard it said that all roads lead to
Rome and that is true Those Roman
people built great highways from
Rome to all parts of the Roman en-
pire. Twenty-Five stone roads center
ed out from Rome throughout the en-
pire like the trolley lines and the rail-
road from Indianapolis to all past of
this country and they built roads not
such as you build now under the
Three-mile Gravel Road law. They