The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1917-01-31
GOVERNOR FAVQRS
BETTER HIGHWAYS
TRAVEL, FIRST ESSENTIAL OF
EDUCATION, so HE DECLARES
IN ADDRESS TO FUR
Their MOVEMENT.
PROGRESS MADE IN BIG STRIDES
state-Aid System, Strengthened BY
Last Legislature, 10 Entitled to Much
credit-kentucky Counties Are
Grateful.

Grateful.
Frankfort, Ky. - Especially - Gov.
ernor A. o. Stanley is most enthu.
siastic supporter of the good roads
movement and is giving great
deal of his time to that question. The
following extract is taken from one OF
his recent addresses on Good Roads,"
Isolation is the essential atmos.
phere Of the savage. The crude bar.
barian living in his wigwam or mar
row hut, supplying his own wants, see.
ing and knowing no country and no
people beyond his corner in the forest
and his tribe, can neither give nor re-
ceive from the world without. Torn
from his narrow environment, travel
alone will civilize the savage before
he learns to read and write.
Society is so organized that we
must give and receive. We exchange
ideas and aspirations as literally as
commodities. The moral and intellec-
tual development Of the race depend
upon the facility Of that interchange
OF nation upon its transportation ia
oilities. There is no better guage Of
the culture Of the community, no surer
index to the Industrial and commercial
prosperity than In the sagacity with
which it determines the products
which 1t can produce most cheaply and
exchange to the greatest advantage
In ha ri %
"The wholesome atmosphere, the Sc
clusion and the peace of the country
home in summer does not compensate
for the hardships and the complete
isolation Of country life in winter;
when families were literally marooned
by their own firesides, shut off by i'm
passable roads from communication
with their kind. The general use of
the automobile and the perfection of
the macadamized road has revolution
lied country life and gives new vigor
and new prosperity to the city. For,
after all, the prosperity of the city
springs like plant from the soil, and
in Kentucky at least 1t is impossible
that the city should not instantly re-
fleet the happiness and prosperity of
the country.
1T has been demonstrated that the
loneliness of family life confined to
single domicile has been the cause of
mental and physical decay, and that
communication with ones kind is as
essential to health as sunshine and
pure air. And so it appears that the
good road is indissolubly woven into
the very wool and warp Of our indus
trial, our physical and our mental and
spiritual lives. Upon these public
( Highways, as upon a foundation, are
built the churches, the schools, the
courts, the mills and the markets.
Good roads, better roads and more of
them, should be plank In every polit-
ical platform, doctrine Of every
, church, included in the pharmacopoeia
of every physician and written into the
curriculum of every college and uni
versity and the bylaws of every cor
poration."
Road building in Kentucky is max
ing good progress under the state-aid
plan which was inaugurated in 1914,
this being the second season and
number of roads contracted for late in
the year 1915 are being completed this
year For the year 1916. contracts
have been approved for seven hundred
and ninety miles of road at cost of
about two million, three hundred thou
sand dollars, including bridges and
culverts. All types of roads, from
earth to the most expensive surfacing,
are being built, and the people can see
for themselves.
In this connection it might be stated
that some of the counties seem to
think they are experimenting, whereas
1t is doubtful II single type of our
surfacing, except 1t be of the patented |
type, is an experiment today because
they have all been built In some Sec
tions OF the world and accurate data |
has been kept showing cost and serv-
ices rendered. and II officials in charge |
would only accept the recommends. |
lions OF engineers who have made I,
study of trafnc conditions and recon-
mend a type consistent Herewith.
many thousands of dollars could be
more economically expended.
To date twenty-eight counties have |
voted bonds aggregating almost six mil
lion dollars. and 1t is the consensus
of opinion that, where bond issues
have failed. the people have not thor
oughly understood the proposition.
Several good roads laws passed by
the 1916 session of the State Legisla-
ture have been printed in bulletin
form and have been distributed to the
various county officials. as well as
placs.d In a number of libraries in the
state; a copy Of same may be had by
writing the state Office. Among the
bills passed is the Convict Labor bill.
Which makes It possible to work con.
ylcts on public .o IDS. Bell county was
the first to al = for convicts under
the provisions OF this act. and on Au-
gust 9Th. seventy-five men were sent
to Bell county. These men are located
OF Pineyille. In one of the county's