The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-09
MEN, WOMEN !.
 AND THINGS

| Duilhs the next five years in Alabama you are going to hear much about edu- cation, diversification and conservation, a veritable trinity of pressing and im- portant questions.
 But in this story I wish to emphasize a iourtn' and help to make way for the big three to travel on with speed, and that is good roads, for the latter is the foundation on which they must be built
 know people have heard so much talk about good roads and had to put up with such bad ones that it is hard to get up a proper amount of enthusiasm, even in the counties which once had the fever, for the highways constructed in many in- stances were a delusion and a snare
 Now, few weeks back we had a meet ing here in Birmingham which caused some of the old guard to prick up their ears, for it met for business and wasted little time on hot air." but brought forth concrete programmes and appointed com mittees made up of men throughout the state who have the power to put over things in big way.
 | It appeared at the session of the Ala l lbama Highway Improvement association as if at last the people of the state had l caught the vision which was sweeping | over many of the sister states, and that at last Alabama was going to get into | the road building game on a scale com mensurate with the needs and the riches of the great commonthwealth, and for ever quit bidding at the matter. l I was present at it's sessions and saw marked its deliberations and I also took hope; but better than this, since Its ad- journment I have been in many parts of the state and everywhere I have been l have made it a point to feel out public opinion in regard to tackling the legisla- road building, and found that both the city and the country are ready to support a worthwhile bond issue.
 {, It Is being brought to the attention of l Alabamians that we are not only stand | ing in our own light so far as the de- | velopment of the state within itself is I concerned, but that we are missing world of outside travel which is giving us the goodby because adjoining states have taken the pains and been willing to spend the necessary money to build ] highways that can be counted upon and | are not mere high sounding names to fool the unwary automobilist.
 l I have talked to Mercer Barnett, Fred Jackson and others who toured in Flor ida in their cars during the past winter and they are simply enthusiastic over the Florida roads. The F1oridians a few years back caught the gleam that if they hoped I to compete with the Californians they must build highways to connect the great pleasure resorts. and so they went to work and are already declaring big divi- dends on their investment, for in the last analysis that is just what good roads arc.
 For several years friends of mine who had been on the Pacific coast told me wonderful tales about the automobile trips they had taken, of mile after mile Of brick, concrete, or bithulithic highways. Every one knows that one of the chief attractions of Los Angeles are the splen- 1 did roads leading from it in every direc- ton. Highways along the ocean, through orange orchards, climbing the mountains Is it any wonder that 1t was rapidly be- coming the playground of the rich and i the well to do.
 Every now and there is some spasmodic talk about attracting tourists to Alabama, and there was long drawn out effort to get the railroads to make Birmingham , city with stop-off privileges I do not know whether the roads ever granted the request, but whether they did or not very few travellers avail themselves of the chance. and we might as we'll look the l facts in the case. and ask, Why, should they? What have we to offer them in the
 
 know the show places, but how about the roads in the city, county and state. We will never bring many tourists here | until we have something better than we have at present to attract them. -
 Stop the first car owner you meet on the street and he will tell you that the | roads of Alabama are a shame and a 1 disgrace, but you will have to halt at least 10 before you find one who is member of the Birmingham Automobile club, and a score before you locate ono who is affiliated with the Alabama High way Improvement association. They are all "kickers'' about poor roads but they won't kick in with live examinations to help remedy the evil of which they SO bitterly complain
 I wish every car owner in Birmingham could have taken the trip I made with MT. Barrett to the Alabama Press asso- citation at Andalusia. If this had been the case there would be no trouble to get the 100 cars asked fer by Sid Lee to go to Montgomery on the 1eth to let the legislature know that Jefferson county is in behind any legislation to get better highways good and strong, and can be counted upon to do its part in putting