Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-06-19

have men and women of the best pro
fessional and technical training and
teachers well qualified for their work.
snail advocate Legislation clearly
defining what aid the State shall give
to schools. and what support should
BIO expected OF county. city or district
Tho public school machinery should
DO simplificd.
I earnestly favor progressive,
wide-awake policy Of permanent road
anlldinS anu maintenance. To tho end
that Virginia may meet modem de-
riands for improved transportation
facilities. In this connection | believe
State plan OF roads should be mapped
out and adopted by the General AS
| sembly. the roads included therein to
be built and maintained through tho
| cooperation of the national, State and
county governments. Such n plan
should be SO framed as to give the
State connected system of through
highways. furnishing to the farmer
convenient access to markets, attract
ing travel to the State and possessing
| military value In time OF war ANY
| plan or system adopted should, SO far
as possible. do exact justice among the
| several counties of tho Commonwealth
| / believe that the adoption OF such a
system would furnish a great impetus
to the good roads movement In Vir-
| GINA, on which It's success SO much
| depends.
The employment Of convicts on the
| public roads is now popular thing
to advocate. but it was not always so
had the honor to introduce the first
| resolution that was ever offered in the
General Assembly of Virginia on this
| subject when 1 was a member of the
Senate in 1861. 1 spoke in advo-
cacy OF the adoption of the resolution
at that session, and was one Of two
Senator'S who voted for it. have
lived to see the day when practically
| all agree that 1t Is wise thing to
do with our able-bodied convicts, and
immeasurably one OF the best ways to
accomplish the building OF good roads
in the State.
1 shall devote my best energies tc
| securing from our General Assembly
and the Federal government all pos
sible additional financial support for
our Public Highway Commission in
it's splendid efforts to extend and i'm
prove our public road system.
We have all rejoiced at the won
| derful progress Of our agricultural in.
tcrests in the last ten or twelve years
| Virginia is an agricultural State. and
| whatever helps the farmer always
helps the Commonwealth.
The Department OF Agriculture has
steadily broadcned it's scope of useful
| ness and has made its inucnce fel,
| throughout the Commonwealth. Its
| yearly handbook. monthly bulletins
and annual crop reports are mailed to
| thousands OF farmers, and last year
the department answered more than
10000 inquiries.
| Under the wise direction OF the
| Commissioner and the State Board OF
Agriculture. our agricultural interests
have been SO carefully fqostercd tina,
the price Of Virsinia's land has
doubled within the last ten years. and
| with the exception OF Texas. Virginia
is now the richest agricultural State
| in the South.
| shall in every way be ready to ad-
| vance the farming interests of the
| Commonwealth.
Among my first efforts in the field
| OF legislation was my advocacy OF a
Bureau OF Labor and Industrial Sta
tistics. and / have watched. with in.
.creasinG qualification. the great ad-