The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-19
PROMINENT MEN AT BANQUET OF GOOD
 ROADS ASSOCIATION
Continued from Page Flve)

1 x (Continued from Page Five) way from one side of the continent to the 1 other. Academic work has passed the l time now is for action. We should give our talents to more roads and better ] roads all over the United States. 1 "This question Is greater in my mind 1 than all others that confront the nation; get your congressman busy; they have acquired the habit of keeping both ears ! to the ground; they will hear you people l from home" Senator Bankhead introduced Governor Brough of Arkansas as the man who had secured more state legislation than any other executive who had preceded him. ARKANSAS GOVERNOR HEARD Governor Brough began his remarks l with an euogy of President Wilson, who 1 he said had combined in his makeup the 1 patriotism of a Washington, the philoso- l phy of Jefferson, the constructive ge- l nius of Hamilton, the courage of l Jackson and the sweet charity of a Lin- l coin. He is destined to go down in l history as the greatest man who has ever occupied the White House. l In defining the two classes of good 1 roads agitators, Governor Brough said "A standpatter is a man who has i stopped and can't start again, and a pro- l gressive is a man who has started and can't stop again." l Alabama is the home of John T. Nor l gan, author of the Panama canal, or John H. Bankhead, greatest good roads | advocate in the world, and of your own noted governor, Charles Henderson, who | has placed Alabama high up on the honor l roll in the galaxy of states. | Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas have made rapid strides in good roads. 1 Arkansas has recently laid aside $492, GOO l to take advantage of the Bankhead good roads bill for federal aid.
 1 q believe in military preparedness, but the men in the furrows and the captains I of industry can just as faithfully and 1 heroically serve their country at home l by aiding in preparedness through pro- ducing foodstuffs and war munitions, said Governor Brough.
 ssGermazsy's success in military affairs so far Is due to the country school teach CTS of that empire, who taught the pu- pills the value of highways connecting l every section of the empire-which proved a boon in the crisis. The United States government should construct the Bank 1 head highway. Corporations, railroads ] and industries are as patriotic as any in- dvidual.
 1T will venture the assertion that the railroads would agree, upon the adoption of a universal Scent fare, to contribute
 
 | of national highways.
 ''In conclusion I want to thank you and appeal to you to decrease the cost of | transportation from 26 S-10 cents per ton per mile, to cents per ton per mile. Go back home and preach the gospel of agri- cultural and distributive preparedness. | Governor Brough brought forth vocif
 erous applause when he said: ''.3Bow low your heads; do not be proud; be humble and recognize that Supreme Being on high who has decreed that the south will never die."t
 JUDGE PATTERSON SPEAKS
 Senator Bankhead introduced Judge T.
 E. Patterson of Atlanta, chairman of the State Highway association of Geor- gia, and member of the state pardon board, who followed Governor Brough. Judge Pattersons address was practical argument in favor of convicts being
 worked on roads.
 q do not agree with my friend from Arkansas that we will send only one di- vision of soldiers to France. l believe that we will have 100000 men fighting in
 France in two years for those that We don't kill this year we will have to kill 1 them next year.
 1 We will be ashamed of ourselves in a l few months when we are called upon to transport our men and supplies. we will simply have to build roads first. The labor proposition is the enemy of good roads. We can get the money, but we can't get the labor to maintain these roads.
 We are working eco convicts on the roads of Georgia, and yet we have scarcity of labor to maintain our roads after they are built State convicts on
 roads solve the labor question to con- siderable extent, however. The cost is reduced about one half. The only saving
 you can figure on in free labor is guards. We feel in Georgia that convict labor solves the road question, and we
 know it is better for the convict We
 believe if the convicts of the United states were put on the roads. it would be l better for all convicts, would increase good roads, and solve the road and cori- : vict question jointly"
 | Frank Willis Barnett as one of a com nxttee from the Liberty Day parade, ex-
 tended an invitation to all delegates to stay over for the parade Thursday night at o'clockd and to bring pressure to
 Lear upon Senator Bankhead and Gov
 ernor Brough of Arkansas to remain in
 Birmingham and address the mass meet ling following the parade.
 SPEAKS ON FEDERAL AID
 Col J. T. Bullen. assistant director of
 public roads of the United States. spoke
 on Federal Aid for Good Roads," Col onel Bullen explained the plan of federal
 aid given through the Bankhead good
 roads bill. giving in detail the features
 of the measure.
 The keynote of the bill is substantial
 construction" stated Colonel Bullen. II
 do not mean that the roads must be built of concrete, but thaS they must be prop
 erly engineered and must be free of graft
 or politics. The road must be main-
 tained for the five years it receives fed
 eral aid If after four months the road remains in bad condition. more fed eral aid will be granted. A state Is the lowest unit to receive federal aid" 1 According to Colonel Bullen. many coun- ties in this state have appealed for fed eral aid and about 20 projects are being considered. Colonel Bullen agreed with Senator Bankhead that $50, 900 would be
 appropriated annually for good roads aid in few years.
 'If you people are really enthused after hearing so many enthusiastic addresses,
 make your legislators who go to the next Alabama legislature. or in whatever state you represent. give your state highway
 department friends adequate power to
 handle the situation All of this talk
 will amount to nothing if there is no ac- tion when you go home" said Colonel
 Bullen.
 Cyrus Kehr of Knoxville, Tenn, ad- dressed the convention on "A Nation Plan" project comprising trunk line highways.
 II