The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1918-09-11
OVERLAND TRAIL ADVOCATES
ADOI TING SUICIDAL POLICY
Lincoln Highway May
=.
Result In Diseouraging All Tour
ist Travel Across State


over night here
Mr.. Ostermann states that he has
documentary evidence that the Lin
coin Highway is being persistently
knocked" both in Reno for east
bound travel and at Salt Lake for
westbound tourists. In both cases
The Commercial Clubs are the ac-
live propagandists and by singular
coincidence both organizations are
headed by men who have no first
hand knowledge of the subject upon
which they assume to give advice,
since neither has been over the Lin-
coin Highway and probably not over
the Overland Trail.
Coming down from Reno last
Saturday seven cars from four diff
'erent Eastern States were met who
I'd taken the Salt Lake Clubs
'hunch" and If the secretary of the
organization could have heard the
anathemas that were hurled at him
he would have passed an uneomfort-
able few minutes.
The net results of this mistaken
policy of our northern neighbors
will be that they will effectually kill
automobile travel across Nevada
since every tourist emphatically
stated that never again would they
attempt the trip or permit a friend
or acquaintance to attempt It. They
describe the stretch between Love-
lock and Elko as horrible night
mare and for mile after mile negoti-
able only in low gear.
While no one will conscientiously
claim that the Lincoln Highway is a
boulevard by any means. there is no
question but that it is by far the
better route of the two and we have
ct TO hear a well-founded complaint
about any but short sections of the
route from the dozens of westbound
ourists who have passed through
Tallon this season.
Just why the misguided advocates
of the northern route persist in this
disastrous campaign of misrepresen-
tation is inconceivable. If it is for
the purpose of picking up the few
paltry nickels that may be spent in
the garages along the line and Incl
ientally the hotel bills paid while
he unfortunate travellers are wait
ing for their car repairs. we must
ell them that this shortsighted poll
y wfl react against every town in
which they are compelled to sojourn
md against the State as a whole.
Further than this il will newt
lbly discourage those enthusiastic
subscribers who have been contem-
plating building memorial sections
IN the Lincoln Highway into believ-
ing that the State is so divided by
local greed and sectionalism that
aothing can be done. 1t should be
remembered that there is but one
National Highway Association and
that is the Lincoln Highway Associ-
attn. After careful and conscienti-
ous investigation, free of any local
influence, they have selected the
most feasible and direct route across
the State. 1t goes without saying
that there will not be more than
one transcontinental, government
iided route across the State for
many years. By this policy of
knocking" the whole project is en-
langered.
1t should be apparent that the
practice of every large community
in the West attempting to pick out
route and, giving it high-sound-
ing title does not build transconti-
mental roads, but only serves to be-
cloud the project and discourage
those who are in a position to ae-
complish something.
Recently a representative of the
Northern California Automobile AS
sociation Mr.. Nears, made trip oy-
er the two northern routes for the
purpose of deciding which would be
endorsed by their association. Those
who are familiar with road condi-
tions on both routes express conf
dence that this report will be favor
able for the Lincoln Highway. Fol-
lowing Mr. Near's investigations, a
meeting of the California Associa-
tion and all interested parties and
representatives of the different
routes will be held at Reno in the
hope of bringing about settlement
of the controversy and concentrate
upon that route which 1t appears to
be the best interest of northern Cal
ifornia to support and aid.
Failing in this il has been suggest
ed that government experts who
are free from any possible faint of
local influence be called in to make
the decision. At all events it is to be
hoped that something is done to put
an end to the present cutthroat tao
i