The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-06-08
The Evolution
Of Good Roads

luton Of Good Roads," by Ben II.
Turned, IT., delivered at the High
School Commencement exercises last
week, is splendid contribution to
the subject now interesting the citi-
zens Of Montgomery. The advantages
accruing to early Kentucky through
her system Of pixies are clearly
shown, and the need for what are
known as modern roads of perma-
nent type construction and the sure
advantage to follow in their wake
are impressively set forth.
"If tonight you could go back with
me to the Kentucky of less than
a century and a half ago, instead
of these prosperous cities of ours
and these smiling Bluegrass meadows
with broad roads winding between
them, we should find trackless
wilderness unknown to civilized man.
One thing alone has changed this
forest to fertile farms and flourishing
cities, and that is-roads, the paths
Of progress.
Roads, in the days of the Colonies,
were the only means of transpor-
tation. There were no aiIplanes,
no steamboats,, such as we see today,
and families, baggage and supplies
were carried in the huge horse-drawn
prairie schooners. 1t was in these
clumsy vehicles that all of Ken
tucky's early settlers were transport
ed. And over what roads!
The settlers jolted, bumped and
shook over the wilderness road, then
the only route between Virginia and
Kentucky. They drove in the mud
up to their hubs, over high noun
tain tops and through deep gorges. As
time went on more and more Vir-
ginians migrated to the "Promised
Land" The routes became made
auate. Something had to be done.
Then arose the champion, the father
of internal improvements = Henry
Clay. Himself a Virginian who had
settled in Kentucky and undergone
the hardships of the wilderness road.
Clay saw what Kentucky lacked and
what she needed When he became
Senator from Kentucky Clay has
tened to remedy these defects. Dur
ing one session he secured a Cir
cult Court for the Trans-Alleghenian
States, made easier certain land laws,
was instrumental in passing a bill
for a canal on the Kentucky side OF
the Falls of the Ohio, and secured a
commission to survey for the new
Cumberland National Road from Vir-
ginia to Kentucky.
These improvements were a great
help to Kentucky and it was through
these and kindred other public i'm
provements that Clay gained his
great popularity in that State and
other States affected by them.
Many of his greatest speeches
were on good roads and internal i'm
provements, as these were, we might
say, his hobbies. | quote from one
of these speeches as follows: us
there not a direct and intimate re-
lation between the power to make
war and military roads and canals?"
It is in vain that the conventions
have confded to the general govern
ment the tremendous power of declar-
ing war-have imposed upon it to
employ the whole physical means OF
the nation to render the war what
ever NAV be its character, success
full and glorious, if the power is
withheld of transporting and distri-
buting these means. Let us appeal to
facts, which are sometimes worth
volumes of theory. We have recent
" had a war raging on all the four
quarters of the Union. The only cir
cumstance which gave me pain at
the close of that war, the detention
of Moose Island. would not have oc-
Cured if we had possessed military
roads. Why did not the Union-why
did not Massachusetts, make a strug-
ole 70 reconquer the islandY Not for
the want of men; not for the want
of patriotism. | hope; but from the
want of physical ability to march
force sufficient to dislodge the
enemy.
On the Northwestern frontier mil
lions in money and some of the pre-
cious blood of the State from which
have the honor to come, was waste
fully expended for the want OF such
roads. With notorious facts like
these, is it not obvious that line OF
military roads and canals is not only
oaoasearv and nronar hut almost in