White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-10-14

| association could be helpful in bring
ing about satisfactory conclusion.
to the western highway situation by
tho prompt acceptance by your as
sociation of the necessary conse-
'quences of the inevitable selective
process by the state and federal auth
critics" has been occasioned by your
absence in Alaska and my absence
abroad.
Considered at Formal Meeting
At the recent meeting of our ex-
ecutive committee your letter was
very carefully considered and your
suggestions discussed with the re-
suit that our president, Mr.. ]. N.
Gum, requested that I communicate
to you the consensus Of opinion OF
our board.
All the members of our board ap-
preciate the seriousness and import
ance of your recommendation and
the earnestness and courtesy with
which they are presented. The board
regretted that it could not, after the
most careful and serious considera-
tion of your recommendations, justi-
fy itself in their adoption, for reas-
cns that have been heretofore com.
municated to you at great length
The fact is, Mr.. Secretary, nothing
has occurred and no facts have been
presented to the association at the
| hearingat Washington or since, which
in any way tend to change the care
fully thought out conclusions pre-
sented to you in our brief for the
Lincoln highway. -.
In that very carefully compiled
statement Of the aims and purposes
OF this association, of the policies
which govern the routing of the Lin.
coin way, of the facts that we have
gathered during ten years in regard
TO the flow OF through westbound
and eastbound traffic and the routes
which beet tend to serve that traffic,
we feel that we presented the iast
word on the unfortunate highway
situation west of Salt Lake City,
! Utah. ..4.,,.......
Unshaken Facts
If our facts had been shaken or
disproven, Il further engineering
Investigation based on the true prob.
lem had been made aud orr con-
clusions logically shown to be in
accurate, our board would have had
some basis upon which to justify
compliance with your recommenda-
tions. However, none OF our state
ments have been disproven, and we
are as confident today ihat our brief
presents proper, right and true pic
ture of the western highway problem
as it were the day that brief was pre-
sented to you.
Problem Unchanged and Cnsolved !
We cannot feel that the technical
fact that the state of Utah under it's
present administration has presented
10 you for your approval the Wend-
over road and has not submitted the
Lincoln highway, can have any bear
ing upon the true merits of the argu-
ments and facts we compiled and pre-
sented.
We, and We feel. the public, be
lieve that the federal highway act
was intended to place end did place
the power to coordinate roads in dis
pute between states in the secretary
of agriculture.
While it may be true that the state
of Utah sought to give you nc choice
in the matter and to make it exDe-
dent for you to approve the Wend-
over route in the absence of any
other designated western connection.
this cannot be regarded, by us at
least, as providing any satisfactory
or consistent basis for .he re-routing
Of the Lincoln highway, especially as
it may be fairly assumed that it rest
ed wholly within your authority to
withhold approval Hntil an investiga.
tfon could be had Of the tl,ne profJ-
lem, or until Utah and Nevada could
reach Wise and proper agreement
in their own interests and that Of the
American public.
When the Lincoln way was laid
out across America there were no
proper connecting roads along the
most direct line selected. This, how
ever, did not prevent our naming
these unimproved stretches as por-
tions OF the ultimate main transcon-
tinental -"'erv. Had we endcavored
then to lad improved roads. or
roads that could be Immediately i'm
proved. as links in the through route
The lincoln way would have wan
dered here and there haphazard
across the continent and would to-
day haN no significance.
Expedieney has never had a part
In the location of the Lincoln way.
II certain sections of the route can
not be Immediately improved, that Ia
unfortunate, but there is no reason
for moving the route, which We are
will ultimately be the main
artery highway and be improved to
high standard entirely across the
and be maintained and
widened. Strengthened, beautitied and
still more highly improved for all
time as the centuries pass.
The evolution OF a transcontincn-