St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-02-07
GET READY FOR
GOVERNMENT
OWNERSHIP
HIGHWAYS
Great Mississippi Valley
Highway May Be One
To Be Taken Over.
CONVICTION is
ON THIS ROUTE
Up To People To See That
Roads are Constructed
and Hard Surfaced.
Special to The Farmer:

Special to The Farmer:
| What is known as the Townsen,
Bill in the National Congress pro
vided ways and means for the loca
tion of national interstate highway
which will traverse the country from
the Canadian Border to the Gul
Coast and form the Atlantic Ocea1
to the Pacific Ocean; for their main
| tenance and upkeep. These road.
will be used in times of peace, 1o1
| commercial purposes, and in times o1
war for internal defense.
The great interstate highway;
which are being located, have been
located, and are being constructed
through the activities of patriotic
private organizations such as the
Mississippi Valley Highway Associa-
tion and others, the Dixie, Lincoln,
Jackson, etc., will no doubt, be
adopted at the same time by the Ma
tional Congress when the Townsend
Bill becomes the law of the land.
Therefore, the counties in Mississippi
and parishes in Louisiana, through
which the Mississippi Valley High
way has been routed, should not los
sight of the great and paramount i'm
portance of putting roads, bridges
and culverts in substantial condition
and keeping them that way, pending
the time when the National Govern
ment will take them over.
A great many of our citizens along
the route of the Mississippi Valley
do not know that the ques-
tion of a routing from St. Pau,
Mimi, to New Orleans has been set
tied by the association; that there is
from Hattiesburg, Miss, one branch
Of this road extending south to Gulf
port, the other branch extending
south and west through Covington
and Hammond to New Orleans.
These two branches will connect with
/ road from Virgins, Miss, extend
ng west through Poplarville, Boga-
usa, Covington and Hammond, then
20 New Orleans.
1t is UP to the people in these
communities to see that this road is
hard surfaced and given
proper markings.
Following are some expressions
rom great men of the nation, which
goes to show the National Govern
nent is getting ready to adopt
highways. /
General Leonard Wood, in an in,
erview, says: at is especially im-
,ortant that we should provide fo.'
continuous maintenance; in other
words, those roads should always be |
lept in condition for service and |
lever allowed to reach the stage |
Then general repair is necessary"
Senator Warren G. Harding, Of |
ohio, says: Il am quite ready to
ordially support federal aid in the
obstruction of highways which shall
e so selected as to facilitate what
night be termed federal travel; that
) to say, interstate communication.
have no doubt Congress will be verv
enerous in supporting the good road
William Jennings Bryan also says
The time has come for the sys-
ematic development of national
ighWays and the conclusion of pea ce
ives an opportunity to celebrate the
nding of the greatest of world wars
y the building of memorial peace
1ay, reaching into every state and
orming a commercial bond of unio1
etWeen the commonwealths of the
alton. 1t would greatly relieve the
ailroads by furnishing a roadway
'r both passenger and freight
'affic."
Governor Sproul, of Pennsylvania,
lys: The interest upon the money
hich we advanced to our allias
ould build each year six modern
aved highways from the. Atlantic
the Pacific and six more from the
anadian line to our Southern
,undary. The principal sum OF our
n billion dollars in loan would give
, net work of paved roads over
e entire country, only thirty miles
,art, north and west. These fig
'es are important as showing what :
ay be done for our own people
lder a far-sighted policy of natiod
improvements" 9
Therefore, it is well for us to re-
ember that there will be competit-
s in the bid for the roads to b. :
opted by the National Government
ID this fact should be sufficient to
mulate the citizens along the
issippi Valley Route to their best =
orts.