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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1911)
CP OSADB PLC PftOMINENTPffl HIGHWS F thcro Is any field of public spirited activity in tho United States which stnndn out con splcuous nbovo all others be cuuso of recent pronrcss It is that which concerns itself with tho betterment of our public highways. If anybody had pro dieted a few years back that tho beginning of tho second decode of tho twentieth century would sco so marked and widespread an improvement of tho public roads of tho United States ho would probably havo been laughed at by all sava thoso fow enthusiasts who wero looked upon until n short tlmo ago hb "cranks." Tills is not saying, mind you, that thcro is not much yet to bo dono to bring tho highway sys tem of this great land to tho point whoro it ought to bo and to maintain it there. Wo nro still a very long way bohlnd most of tho countries of tho old world notably our Bister republic of Franco In tho condition of our roads. But that fa perfoctly natural, not because tho forelgnqrs aro any bottor road builders than wo aro, but Blmply becnuso their highways havo been In tho making for many conturlos, whorcaB wo havo mighty fow turnplkos that aro moro than one hundred or at moBt two hundred years old. And lurthormoro on top of tho youth of our country In road building thoro is tho circumstance of tho tremendous nlzo of Undo Sam's domain. No wonder tho Europeans havo been ablo t9 havo KQod roads when half or two-thirds as many peo ple as wo havo In this whole vast country hayo been contributing thoir work and their taxes to keep up tho roads In a territory no larger than one of our medium size states. But for all tho lead given by tlmo and tho ad vantage of dense population it looks as though we would overtake our couBlns overseas In tho mutter ot tho possession of good roads, Indeed, even now in Homo states, auch as sections of MasaacNusottd, thoro aro roads as flno as any thing of similar clmractor on tho other sido of' tho big pond. Tho secret of this boom In road building in America lies In organization ob well as agitation and tho country In likely to boo now fruits from both during tho middle week of Sep tember when a "Good Iloads Wook" .will bo held throughout tho Unltod Stntos. This week of "missionary work" is expected to stir up a good ly sharo of our people on tho question of good roads and it 1b hoped that somo of tho now con verts and' tho old will that wook practice what thoy preach to tho extent of lending a hand to the building hero and thoro of stretches of "model road" that will sorvo as convincing object lessons. "Good ItoadB Week" is going to bo held In con nection with tho first annual convention of tho American Association for Highway Improvement which will be hold at Richmond, Va., and will bo addressed by many of tho moat prominent men ;!u tbe country. Thlo national organization will, .qf courso, be much in the public oyo In this con nection, but It Is only one of Bcorca of associa tions great and amall that have been helping In thin causo. There are atato organizations and county organisations and oven township organl nations all over the country that havo boen sup porting our national, state and municipal govern ments. In what they havo been doing for bottor roads, and tho results attained prove what can bo aefompllsheil when a largo nurabor of people who Hre very much In cnrncBt Bot out to nil "pull to gether" (oward a desired goal. k good many peoplo who havo not looked vory deeply Into tho subjoct havo gained tho Idea that tho motorists aro moro -largely responslblo than any other class of peoplo for this dnwnlng era of good roads. Now, it would not bo right to dls mrago what tho nutomoblllsta havo dono, which lino boon considerable In ono way or another, but In tho Interest of tho truth It must bo pointed out that tho ono factor supremo In lnflucnco for better roods has boon tho wldo-awako farmer. To bo euro it is a fact, and a mighty slgnlflcunt one, that tho largest ami moat powerful corporations In tho countrybusiness Interests such as our biggest railroads and tho steel trust and tho Standard Oil corporation aro working energetic ully with tho now Amurlcnn Association for High way Improvement bocauso thoy rcallzo that any thing that will help tho condition of tho country at largo will help thoir business. At tho samo tlmo it Is tho farmer class that nro supplying tho backbone of this movomont Just na thoy nro of very other big movement affecting rural condi tions and havo boon from tlmo out of mind. It Is Just as well to admit right hero, too, that the aycrngo fnrmer who Is going In hard for tho cause of bolter roadB Is not dovotlns his tlmo nnd Ills tabor to tho project on nny fanciful sentiment a! basis. Of courso, it contributes to bis prido to pe bis farm bounded or bisected by a splendid road and ho Is gratified that the good folk who Ko Tsv his door plcasuro riding should have an ay pathway, but tho great underlying Impetus Js found la tho neod of good 7oada to enable tho Carmer to markot hU produce conveniently and caaumlcally, Tho averago old-tlmo farmer was prono to look upon bad rends as a noccaanry ovll. Ho realized In n eonao what a dotrlmcnt thoy wero to hla In terests, but ho put up with tho situation becauso ho did not sco any way out of tho dilemma at least not without moro work than he could afford to glvo, Then along camo tho. United States gov ernment, when rural froo dollvory commenced to bo Introduced, nnd declared that thoso rural mall carriers could not bo placed In districts whoro tho roads wore not In fair condition. This did much to awaken tho farmers to tho Bltuatlon, for ovory rural homo prizes tho boon of a daily mall delivery. And, nt about tho samo time tho farm ers, who thus had thoir serious attention focused upon tho good roads question, found, ns thoy looked cloBor, that bad roads meant a holo in tho pockotboolc of every tiller of tho soil. It began to bo realized that If a farmor required tho Borv Ices of four horses and nn entire day's tlmo to get a load of produco to market via bad roads tho loss to him was JuBt us serious as though ho had to accept a vory low prlco for tho yield of hla acroa. Herein Is found tho uupremo lncontlvo among many that haa onllatod tho progressive rnrmer It) behalf of bettor roads. Ono of tho besi things accomplished for tho farmer by good roads la that It has broadened his markets. With rocky or muddy highways en forcing clow progrcan tho averago farmer wan In tho old dnyB restricted to one markot town tho ono nearest his farm. Now with good roads ho can In a Bhortor Interval thnn was formerly re quired reach uny ono of fiovoral communitlcB lo cated In different directions. This enables him to attain tho markot whoro ho can get tho best prlceB, Similarly with good roods the farmer is not likely to bo so roatrlctcd to ono railroad for shipping facilities. It tho road nearoBt his farm will not glvo htm the cars ho needs or otherwise play fair ho most llkoly has somo redress by driving across the countrystdo to a rival lino. And tho vory Tact that tho Introduction of good roads la destroying such, monopolies has served to rendor tho railroads moro obliging to their farmor cllonts. Tho now country-wldo Highway Improvement OBaoclntlon which 1b to hold Its flrat, nnnunl con grcas In tho near future will not seek to drive out or supplant tho various good-roads associations that havo been organized all over the country and many of which are, as has been said, doing an excellent work within a moro or leas local sphere. However, tho new national Institution is dcBlgncd to servo aa a clearing house that will pass on all good roads schemes wherever thoy may originate and that will Beek to bring together al tho various local associations, harmonizing their alms and policies whero in tho past thoy havo too often been working at cross purposes. Tho United Stntes government Is back of this, now national organiza tion upon which public attention Is now being focused. Indeed, tho first president of tho body is Undo Sam's chief expert on good roads namoly, Mr. Logan W. Pngo, direc tor of tho United States ofllco of public roads-. And Just here It should bo noted that this public roads ofllco a branch of tho United Statoa department of ngrloul turn Is doing a most Important work for tho cause of road Improvement throughout tho length nnd breadth of tho land. For ono thing, laboratories are maintained nt Washington., specially equipped to ascertain which of these aro best adapted to uso In any specified locality or under nny given con ditions. Even moro important Is tho work of the government bureau In building stretches of "model road." Undor this plan of building model roads to serve as object lessons In tho possibilities and benefits of highway Improvements Undo Snm Bonds his forco of engineers nnd exports Into any community which seems to need to bo aroused rogardlng good ronda and with their own holpera, or by means of a forco of workmen recruited In tho neighborhood they construct a mile or two mlloa of just tho Bort of road that 1b ideal for that particular district How beneficial those object lessons aro Is proven by tho fact that thousands of miles of good roads havo been built In various parts of tho country this past fow ycara with thoso governmental "Bamplo rondo" as joUorns; Tho bowlng made by rural ronda "boforo and after11 treatment "by"tho "govern ment road doctors hns prompted stato legislatures, county commissioners, locnl boarda of trade, farm era granges nnd othor bodies to upproprjato mouey for a more extorsive good roads campaign in lo calities that havo thus had a tnsto of tho benefits, and In somo states, notably Delaware, wenlthy men havo paid out of their own pockets for long stretches of Improved public roads for tho uso of tho whole community. Busy Times in Minnesota Thoso iu charge of digging the stato dralnago ditches complain- that thoy cannot koop men be causo tho farmers grab tho laborers to work In the hnrvost fields, Bays tho St. Paul Dispatch. A Min neapolis man with nn automobllo tells how- ho was Bhnnghnlod by thoso who wanted a machine In which to rldo to and from their work na burglars. It would seem an though no ono Is safe In these busy harvest times. , LEISHMAN TO SUCCEED HILL John O. A. Lclshmnn was proposed to tho Gorman governmont by Wash ington as American ambassador, to succeed Dr. David Jayno Hill, who resigned last spring. Tho United States asked whother tho nppolntmont of Mr. Lelshmnn, who nt prcaont is American ambassador nt Homo, would bo ncceptablo to tho kalsor's government, through Count Von Bornstorff, tho German ambassa dor at Washington. Mr. Lclshman's name was submitted by telegraph to Emperor William, who was touring In tho grand duchy of Mccklenberg. Em peror William, Immediately on receiv ing tho proposal of Washington, tele graphed his reply to tho foreign of fice. Tho action taken Is almost un precedented In promptness. Mr. LolRhman's long aervico ns n, diplomat qualifies him particularly In tho eyes of tho emperor, who soveral times has spoken of tho neod t of nn experienced ambassador for tho Berlin uost and to his deslro that no novice bo sent there. It has been stated that Major von Kldorlon Waochtor, tho Gorman socrotary of foreign affairs, who has a peraonal acquaintance with Mr. Lolshman, Is much plensed with his nppolntment. Tho selection also in very ncceptablo to German society, in which Mr. Lolshman and his family havo many friends. Mr. LolBhmnn's transfer was necossarlly followod by other changes In tho diplomatic sorvico. GORDON-BENNETT CUP WINNER Uf T Charlos T. Woymann, winner of tho "prlzo cup at the Gordon-Bonnett avia tion raco, was tho solo American rep resentative in this tho principal Inter national speed contest of tho yoar. Woyinnnn was born in Haiti twonty two years ago, and has lived practic ally nil his llfo In Frnnco. He Is much moro at homo speaking Fronch than English. Called upon to respond to a number of flattorlng compliments that wero Bhowored upon him at an in formal dinner after the raco, tho vic torious American, after much hesita tion, repllod with tho ono word "Merc!." Ho is not a Don Qulxoto of tho air, but has hold records for speed, pas-sengor-carrylng end cross-country flights. On bis wonderful overland flight from Paris, for 280 miloB to Clermont-Ferrand, only denso fog pre vented him from fulfilling tho condi tions of tho Mlchelin prlzo of $20,000 for flying with a passenger from tho French capltol to Puy db Dome, a mountain 4.800 feot In holsrht. within six hours. Ho was tho only alrninn to start with tho Ill-fated Chavez for thft flight across tho Alps last autumn. Weymnnn Is tho Good Samaritan of nviatlon. In soveral of tho big coun try flights in Franco ho stopped by tho wayside to glvo first 'aid to fledglings with crippled wings and lacerated heads. On ono occasion ho halted In his breathless raco acrosB tho country to carry n lucklOBS competitor in his aero plane ambulance to tho noarost toWn. Aftor losing his chances In tho con test, Woymann philosophically resumed his flight. Bocauso of his Burplua of good nature, Woymann Is a favorlto with tho flyors of all nations. 1 COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS Edward Bruco Moore, commissioner of patents in Washington, camo promi nently Into tho public oyo tho othor day when tho ono millionth Unitod StateB patent was iasuod. Mr. Mooro has worked his way up from tho ranks. Ho entored tho patent ofllco na assistant examiner inl883, and from that timo served In various capacities until ho was mado commis sioner, in Juno, 1907. Ho has Bpent twenty-olght years la tho government Bervlco. Edward Bruco Moore has had a wide and varied experience whilo serv ing Undo Sam. Beforo ho was ap pointed commissioner of patents ho was asslgnod as spoclal commissioner to tho Paris exposition, In 1900. In the summer of 1908 ho was appointed United States delegate to the Inter national Conforenco for tho Protection of Industrial Property, which was hold in Stockholm, Sweden. Later, In tho fall o 1909, ho acted as special commissioner of tho stato dopartmont to nlno principal capitals of Europo on International reciprocal natont protection. Then ho served ns delegate to tho Fourth International Conference of American State3 nt Buenos Ayros, Argcntlno, In tho summer of 1910, In chargo of matters relating to patents, trade marks and copyrights. GOMEZ A CUBAN MALCONTENT P. n Juan Gualborto Gomoz Is a Cuban malcontent who has beon coneplrlng with othera to havo Proaldont Gomoz Impoachcd nnd to make a co-consplrn-tor, Vice-President Zayns, govornor of Cuba undor Amcrlcnn auzcralnty. It la unlikely that ho will succeed. A Httlo over tec years ago tho United Si&tea undertook a costly war to freb Cuba and when after somo years of self-government the Cubans fnllod In tho primary purposes of all governments to sccuro tho safety of llfo and property this country was forced to Intorveno. When tho last of our soldiers nftor tho period of occupation loft Uio Island tho state ment wus mado on tho floor of our na tional congress that if tho United States wore again called upon to in torveno tho American flng might nover again bo lowered In Cuba. But in Bpito of this warning political plotting is going on in tho Island and, according to roports, with tho object of bringing about United States Inter vention. Our government,, howovor, gayo nsaurnncos that It had no lmme dlalo Intention of Interfering In tho affairs of Cuba, but tho criminality of Juan Gomoz is no less pronounced on that account. Tho poison of political discontent nnd revolutionary plotting, seems to pervade Latin 'America. Central America today is in a turmoil. Vonozuela, In South America, nftor a respite from tho years of bloody despotism under the iron rulo of Castro, Is faclug another revolution. Mexico 1b In a transition stage from bloody conflict to uncertain peace.