Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-07-14
Good Roads An Education

AT meeting held in Grand Rapids
last Friday at which Il. ID. Dunlap
the Billy Sunday Of Good Roads, was
the principal speaker President T. r.
Colgrove of the Michigan Highway
Commission had the following 20 say:
The campaign for the abolition Of
them nd road is of necessity more or
the mud road is of necessity more or
constructive work there must of nee
essity be thoughtful preparation and
complete knowledge, not only of
things to be done, but the right way
TO do them.
ITO bring Michigan up to the stand
ard Of our sister states in road con-
struction and maintenance, means
more than educating our people in the
best way to build and maintain our
highways, it means the conversion Of
thousands of our citizens as to the
necessity of good roads.
For the past six years the Michigan
State Good Roads association has
been ever lastingly and continually
undertaking TO bring about a CONVEX
sion together with a new baptism of
the good roads spirit and enthusiasm.
Michigan is now awake 10 the fact
! that she has been decade behind her
sister states in the building of roads.
/ but strong central organization is
absolutely necessary in Michigan if we
/ keep pace with the other states about
us in this great civic undertaking. We
must have an organization around
which all others may rally with con-
fident hope Of success. We care not
who leads, only that the leadership is
safe, sane and brings TO pass.
Since the organization of the Mich
| igan State Good Roads association, no
officer has ever drawn a dollars COM
pensation for services rendered. We
have cheerfully given of our time, be-
lieving that a generous appreciative
citizenship would do whatever might
be necessary TO hold up our hands.
LAS president of the association,
never realized more keenly, than while
at Chattanooga last month, the neces-
sity Of having a substantial treasury
and sufficient funds TO do the work we
have before us.
The seven states interested in this
great convention, where 5000 enthusi-
astic business men had gathered, all
seemed to be represented by strong
central organizations sufficiently fin
anced TO do whatever might be nee
essary in the interest of their respec-
tive states. / felt that our association
that had worked so long and earnestly
to make Michigan a better Michigan,
and 70 bring her highways TO a higher
standard, ought to be better under
stood by the citizens Of our state. Ii
seemed TO me that our officers had
been Inundated long enough and that
we had scraped on the bottom of the
flour barrel as long as the generous
citizens OF Michigan would permit if
they knew the facts.
Jesse Taylor, secretary of the Ohio
Good Roads federation, and the editor
Of Better Roads, for many years has
been a friend Of our association, and
has met with us at our annual meet
ings. He advised that we employ the
services of u. D. Dunlap 10 make for
us a statewide campaign and TO place
our association on a better financial
basis. The work has been hard
enough without being compelled 70
continually beg for an existence.
Grand Rapids has been generous
and appreciative. Our last annual
meeting held in Grand Rapids was one
Of the most successful Of its kind ever
held in the United States. II has been