Evening star., 1920-03-21
Lincoln HIGHWAY
| NO LONGER DREAM
First Head of Association
Tells How Country Has
Been Awakened.

Henry B. Joy. the first president of
the Lincoln Highway Association, said
| in an article in the National Magazine
for November. 1919:
'1t is given to very few mortaIs to
sec their dreams come true. Espe-
cially is this true when for realization
those dreams require the awakening
of whole people to a new order of
things and the molding of public SEN
timent and the habits and thoughts of
nation.
THE founders and officers of the
Lincoln Highway Association are
lucky men. or rather they are men for
tunate in being practically assured
now of an opportunity of watching
what was once nothing but great
dream come true. For the Lincoln
highway. in reality nothing but a
dream in 1913. and by many thought
to be very wild and impossible one,
is coming true. 1t has behind it now
an impetus which nothing can stop
The whole good foads program of this
country is like SNOWFALL rolling
down hill.".
Rosy Outlook for Future.
AS Mr.. Joy expressed, the outlook
for the future, for those who have
tHHn working for the betterment of
american highways is rosy one. No
matter where one looks on the road
X u
flying eagerness to pour out millions,
not to be frittered away as have been
previous millions and hundreds of
millions in the old-time hit or miss"
local administration of road funds,
but for the construction of definite
through connecting statewide sys-
TENS of permanent 365-day-a-year
hard surface highways.
1t is not excessive to estimate that
anywhere from a billion to s1.25O,00O.-
will 1,a 10 l~I
for highway Improvement in the
United states. That amount of money
cannot be spent in one year, of
course. but indications are that it will
be provided for continuous building
programs to start at once. Over $780,
600. 900 will doubtless be spent in 1920.
Official figures from the United States
office of public roads of the Depart
ment of Agriculture show something
over $633, 100000 ready for 1920 work.
Roads have been sold" to Amer
lea Nothing can stop the continued
progress toward that ideal goad
originally in the minds of Lincoln
highway founders-the Union con-
nected. united and interlaceI with
permanent highways linking the acre
that produces with the market and
shipping point. and providing the
means for the freest and most un-
hampered flow of passengers and
freight to every corner of the nation.
purposes Achieved.
With the policy of a national sys-
tenn of American highways written
into the law of the land through de-
mand of the public and the action
of Congress: with the Lincoln high
way ineradicab bly, fixed upon the map
of the United States and the minus
and hearts of the people. as a great
memorial to Lincoln. with the route
IS per cent improved, and the i'm
provement of the remaining sections
assured. and with American public
sentiment finally and fully committed
to adequate and permanent types of
construction. the Lincoln Highway
Association will be finally able to
acknowledge IT'S end accomplished and
he purpose for which it was organ
lied achieved
The need for such central organi-
Zation will in the future become less
and less imperative as progress con-
tinues. and as the ideals Qf the or
ganiZation become more and more
thoroughly inculcated. Eventually
the carrying out to the ultimate of
the great work it instituted can be
safely left to an enlightened Ameri-
can public opinion, to local and ma
tional governmental agencies estab-
lished, and to the strong sentiment
on the part of the press and public
for the continuous broadening,
traightening. maintaining and beau
tifying of the route inspiration
and great national monument for
the generations of the future.