Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-15
Building Colorado's Road System

Within the next few years the state of Colorado
will spend more upon the highways of this state than
was spent by the United States in constructing the
Panama canal.
If this enormous amount of twenty million dollars,
or more is well spent it will bring ncalculablc benefit
to the state and to all its people, and this benefit will
be great enough to justify the expenditure.
If it is not well spent it will be, to greater or
less extent money wasted, and the people of Colorado
will be burdcned with heavy debt, and they will be
orcssvcy taxed for interest charges, without gaining
those permanent advantages which would warrant the
expenditure of vast amount of money.
The far-seeing who, from the best of motives,
have advocated the building of great system of state
highways in Colorado have not only the possible
benefits of such undertaking, but they have also
and considered its possible dangers In urging the
people to build good roads they have been aware of the
fact that the creation of such road fund Colorado
now possesses, or has clearly in view, would stir the
interest and the greed of many persons and that this
fund would be the object of nnumerablc schemes of
selfshncss, greed and incompetence.
The defense of the peoples road fund must depend
ultimately upon the people themselves, and it is there
clear understanding, of the principles well of the
facts, that arc involved in this matter.
At the present time the chief subject of discussion
in this connection is the proposed law placing the
era highway planning and construction in the hands
of commission. This plan is supported by
Governor Shoup and it is opposed by county
missioners, by the members of the present Highways
commission, and by great many persons turnout the
state who, for another, do not desire to
sec centralized control of the road fund and
tralized direction of road building
Fairmnded people must admit that there strong
arguments on both sides.
It is absolutely certain that Colorado will never
have thc right kind of road system unless there is
consistent plan for the entire state based upon the
needs of people of the entire state with due regard
for the interests of all localities and of all classes,
farmers merchants, tourists and all others. Such
consistent general plan cannot be established worked
ont under anv scheme of local or district control
Experience with the present Highways commission
has shown that with six or any other number of COM
mssioncr, each representing section of the state
are bound to have equal number of district road
systems and not general state system of roads And
it unquestionaby true, generally, that the persons
who arc in favor the wastcful and inefficient plan
of local district road building, those who want the
road fund spent where it will do the most good pot
cally personally, and those who want TO the
local interests of town county, opposed to
the interests of the state whole, actively op
posed to the one-man commission plan.
On the other hand there is the danger that if the
commission is established and given the pow
that necessary for the successful performance
of its work the great road fund of the state may be
unfairly or unviscy directed The right kind of
as state road commissioner could give the state better
results than it would be possible TO get by any other
system. The wrong kind of state road COM
missioner might bring results than would be had
from plan of district control.
The subject ono that oucht to be given very
full consideration by the members Of the state lcgs-
laturc and by the people generally. There is danger
hasty action may be taken by those that have not
looked both sides of the question There is danger
that local and selfish interests may be given undue i'm
portanco compared with the interests of the state
a whole.
Unqucstionably Governor Shoup is acting for what
he believes to be the best interests of the state
Unquestonably he is planning for state road sys-