Evening star., 1923-07-01

| 1t remains to be seen just how far
! the old question OF states rights
carefully guarded in the phraseology
of the federal highway act. Will en-
able the state of Utah, located in the
path of all transcontinental traffic
to control through her policy OF road
building the pathway to be followed
| and, in the ultimate, the destination
of all the futures vast flow OF through
! traffic. Ii remains to be seen jus,
where Utah's state rights end and
those of Nevada begin, and to just
what extent the interest of America
| as a whole and of traffic across the
Union can be safeguarded when one
state uses its sovereign rights to
/ play a lone hand for selfish pur-
pose.
Has Given Up Road.
! The present administration OF Utah
has abandoned the Lincoln highway
| In the western half of the state. a
section of road vitality needed not
only as a link in the transcontinental a.
| route, but of great Importance to
| that vast area In central Nevada
which has no railroad facilities. This
|
! Gov. Spry in 1913. when the highway
was laid out in the west. and which
| Gov. Bamberger's administration con-
tracted to construct to the Nevada
line. using sl25.000 of the associa-
! tton's money.
BY emitting this road entirely from
her federal aid system, while at the
| same time placing on the system a
more northerly highway across the
desert leading only into northern
! Nevada and northern California. tht
! state has presented a very serious
problem to Secretary Henry G. Wal
| lace of the Department of Agricul-
| ture, whose power is strictly limite &c
/; by the federal highway act to ap-
proving or disappearing projects sub.
mitted by the states.
! Lnck of Power.
| Following the hearing held il
! Washington in connection with this
western road problem. whereat repre-
| sentatives of Utah. Nevada and Cali.
fornia were heard. as we'll as repre-
sentatiVes of the Lincoln Highway
| Association the Secretary pointed out
that his department had no power tt
initiate highway construction pro.
grams. The Secretary has been m
der the necessity of approving the
| construction of the northerIv route
across the desert from Salt Lake City
! initiated by the Utah state highwa,
department, and is now confronted
with the demand of Nevada that the
Lincoln highway be also included ir
| Utah $ federal aid system and prompt
| ly built, while facing Utah's refusa'
To include that road i'm her fedora
| aid system.
! United States Senator Tasker T,
J oddle who was Governor OF Nevada
at the time the Lincoln highway was
iaid out in the west, attended the
4 of
ONCE, and In strong letter to the
! secretary has impressed his feeling
that Nevada has certain rights which
are being infringed by Utah in its
determined stand to abandon the Lin.
coin highway. In the following let.
! ter Senator Oddie forcefully points
out Ctah'S scheme of unshouIderinp o
! upon Il more sparsely populated ano
! less wealthy sister state very larp.
ana unnecessary expense to the end
OF saving Utah much smaller and
| urgently required expenditure:
| senator Oddie's Letter.
en-, May 81, 1928.
Secretary of Agriculture.
! Washington, u. c.
My dear Mr.. Secretary:
! Il have carefully followed the hear
! ihGs hefore you on May II on the sub
tiect OF the highways in Utah and
/ mere are two highly important
questions before YOU in passing upon
me two roads. namely, the Victory
highway, westerly from Salt Lake
tity to connect with the Victory
highway ut Wendover, near the Ne
Nada state line. and the Lincoln high
way from Salt Lake City via Tooele
and lbapah, meeting the Lincoln
highWay in Nevada at the state line.
nave heretofore impressed upon