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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1903)
WlFW-pQ-' ' Trt"'gf r 0. WTrr -f. f i The Commoner. MAY 15, 1903V SPEECH. DELIVERED BY MR. BRYAN, APRIL 28, 1003, AT THE GOOD ROADS CONVENTION, HELD AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. GOOD ROADS -!1 ' qp oui ,thl t r 1 desire. In the first place, to acknowledge my obligation to your president, Mr. Moore, for his efforts to enlighten me on this subject Ho came out to Nobraska some three or four weeks a0o d urged upon me the importance of attending this meeting. I have learned more about good roads 'from him and from the literature that he has brought to my attention, than I over know " before. I have become exceedingly interested in this subject, as I have studied it In fact, I have been thinking how many questions there are that enlist the thought and arouse tho interest of those who seek to do something for their fellow men. If we attend a meeting of home mission aries, we are surprised to find how much need there is in this country for home missionary work; and after we have listened to the speeches made at such meetings we make up our mind that the work of the homo missionary is an ex ceedingly important work. If wo attend a meet ing of the foreign missionary society we are amazed to find what a largo world this is, how much sacrifice has been made by foreign mission aries, and how extended is their field of labor. If we attend an educational meeting, and hear great educators speak, we wonder that we could have been so ignorant of the great forces at work for the uplifting of our people, and we are aston ished to find how many people there are, with all our schools, public and private, who are yet il literate. And then, if we go to a prison congress , and hear people., talk about tho various means ' of reforming people, why, we find that ther8 is another wide field for energy. And so with many other kinds of work, not to speak of politi cal work. And as I have gone from one of these meetings to another I have been more and more impressed with tho largeness of tho vineyard in whicb. people can work if they really want to "work. And then, when I read in the paper that someone has committed suicide because there was nothing for him in the world, I cannot help thinking that if one has a proper conception of life and measures it by its outflow and not by its income, he will find so much to do that ho will never despair. They tell us about tho wonderful , improve ment in shipping. I was interested this morn . ing when I heard of the launching of a boat that would carry eight thousand tons more than any other boat ever built It gives us some idea of the magnitude of our foreign commerce. I was 'glad to hear them talk of the railroads; for in this country we. have wonderful railroad develop ment But, my friends, nothing I have turned my attention to in the last few years has seemed to me to come nearer to the people than this ques tion of good country roads. I find that there is a new field there, and I have already advanced so far that I have made up my mind to build a lit tle road out near my farm, as an object lesson; and not only that, but to do what I can to get .my county and my state to do something in tho matter of roads. I confess to you that this subject, this great subject, Is ono that I had scarcely thought of until Mr. Mooro called it to my attention. And xyoii know how a person's attention will be at tracted to a thing I might tell you the first thing in regard to it that challenged my attention: I . asked him about how wide these roads ought to be? Ho said that about sixteen feet was tho ordinary width -I remember that; that attracted my attention sixteen feet to one road. "When I got to reading up on tho subject, I found it was not sufficient to have a read "wide enough for one wagon; It had to be wide enough for wagons to pass; there must bo room enough for two wjigons to pass a double standard road, so to speak. You can imagine how intensely interested I became in the matter. Then I began to investigate, and I found a political reason for interesting myself in these roads that I have not heard mentioned by any speaker today and, my friends, that is not a reflection upon the gentlemen who have spoken, because they have covered a wide range, and have said about all on this subject, it seems to me, that could bo said. But, you know, our ideas - become larger with our experience, and a thought has come to mo in regard to these good roads that probably has not occurred to any of tho rest of you. I do not claim any special originality in thinking of it, It simply shows that wo learn from experience. In two campaigns I noticed that a great many of our people did not get out to vote, and it occurred to mo that It might have been because tho roads wero not good enough. I have such confidence in the doctrines that I have been advocating that I am satisfied if tho people had not been stuck in tho mud they would have gone to the polls and voted for our ticket; and, therefore, I think I must commence a little fur ther back. I think beforo trying to show people how they ought to vote, I must show them how they can get to tho polls to vote. I have come to the conclusion that next to getting into the right road, it is important to have roads passable. I had to prepare this speech before I had time to read what others had said. And then, having prepared tho speech, I was at liberty to read and find out what I ought to have said in tho speech. I felt a little like a young man I knew in south ern Illinois: Ho studied medicine awhile and then quit and began practicing; he said he thought he would practice while ho was young, and study when he was old and could not prac tice. I feel a good deal in the same position. , In going over this subject I jotted down cer tain things I wanted to submit for your consider ation, and I assure you I am more Interested in getting before you certain Ideas, than I am in tho manner of presenting those Ideas. In fact, I have been so busy trying to present ideas that I fear I have neglected the matter of ornamenta tion. Tho expenditure of money for the permanent improvement of the common roads can be de fended, first, as a matter of justice to tho people who live in the country; second, as a matter of advantage to the people who do not live in tho country, and, third, on the ground that the wel fare of tlfe nation demands that tho Comforts of country life shall, as far as possible, keep pace with the comforts of city life. It is a well-known fact, or a fact easily as certained, that the people in the country, while paying their full share of county, state and fed eral taxes, receive as a rule only the general ben efits of government, whilo the people in the cities have, in addition to the protection afforded by the government, the advantage arising from tho expenditure of public moneys In their midst Tho county seat of a county, as a rule, enjoys the re freshing influence of an expenditure of county money out of proportion to its population. The capital of a state and tho cities where tho state institutions are located, likewise receive the ben efit of an expenditure of public money out of proportion to their population. When we come to consider the distribution of the moneys col lected by the federal government we find that the -cities, even in a larger measure, monopolize tho incidental benefits that arise from the expendi ture of public moneys. The appropriations of the last session of con gress amounted to $753,484,018, divided as fol lows: Agriculture $ 5,978,160 Army 78,138,752 Diplomatic and consular service.. 1,968,250 District of Columbia 8,647,497 ' Fortifications '. 7,188,416 Indians 8,512,950 Legislative, executive and judicial departments .- 27,595,958 Military academy 563,248 Navy 81,877.291 Pensions 139,847,600 (Postoffico department 153,401,409 Sundry civil 82,722,955 Deficiencies 21,561,572 Permanent annual 132,589,820 Miscellaneous 3,250,000 It will be seen that the appropriation for the agricultural department was insignificant when compared with the total appropriations less than one per cent The appropriations for the army and navy alone amounted to twenty-five times the sum appropriated for the agricultural depart ment An analysis of the expenditures of tho fed eral government will show that an exceedingly, small proportion of tho money raised from all tho people gets back to tho farmers directly; how much returns indirectly it is? impossible to say, but certain it is that tho pcoplo who live in tho cities receive by far the major part of tho spe cial benefits that come from the showering of public money upon the community. Tho advant age obtained locally from government expendi tures is so great that tho contests for county Boats and Btato capitals usually exceed In Inter est, If not in bitterness, the contests over political principles and policies, be great .Is tho desiro to secure an appropriation of money for local purposes that many will excuso a congressman's vote on either side of any question if he can but secure tho oxpondituro of a large amount of pub lic money in his district I mention this becauso it is a fact that ' have not heard referred to. Tho point is, that tho farmer not only pays his share of the taxes, but more than his share, yet very little of what he pays gets back to tho farraor. People in tho city pay not only less than their share, as a rule, but get back practically all of tho benefits that como from the expenditure of tho people's monoy. Let mo show you what I mean when I say that tho farmer pays more than his share: The farmer has vislblo property, and in every form of direct taxation visible property pays more than its share. Why? Because tho man with visible property always pays. If he has an acre of land tho asscsso can find it; if ie has horses, they can counted; his cattle can bo enumerated. If ho has piLJ, they begin to squeal when the assessor approaches; he cannot hldo them. Tho farmer has nothing that escapes tax ation; and in ell direct taxation, he not only pays on all he has, but the farmer who has vis ible property has to pay a large part of the taxes that ought to paid by the owners of Invisible property, who escape taxation. And when we come to Indirect taxation, tho farmers' share is even more, because, when you collect taxes on consumption, you make people pay, not in proportion to hat they have, but in proportion to what they need. And God has so made us that the farmer needs as much as any body else, even though he may not have as much as other people with which to supply his needs. In our indirect taxation, therefore, for tho support of tho federal government, the farmer pays even more out cf proportion to his wealth. And then, when we remember that when we col lect taxes on consumption, wo make tho farmer pay not only on that which is imported, but upon much of that which is produced at horre, we find that tho farmer's burden is not measured by what the treasury receives, but Is frequently many times what tho treasury receives. While In In direct taxation the burden upon the farmer is far greater than it ought to be, yet when you trace the expenditure of public moneys"dIstrlbuted by the federal government, you find that even in a larger measure special benefits o to the great cities and not to tho rural communities. This point I desire to emphasize and make clear. The improvement of the country roads can be justified also on the ground that the farmer, the first and most important of the producers of wealth, ought to be In position to hold his crop and market it at the most favoraV.e opportunity, whereas at present he is virtually under compul sion to sell it as soon as it Is mature because the roads may become Impassable at any time during the fall, winter or spring. Instead of being his own warehouseman, the farmer Is compelled to employ middlemen, and share with them the profits upon his labor. I believe as a matter of justice the farmer ought to have roads that will enable him to keep his crop and take It to the market at the best time; and not place him, as he is placed today, in a position where they can run down the price of what he has to sell just when he must sell, and then, when ho has disposed of it, run tht price up and give the speculator what the farmer ought to have. The farmer has a right to Insist upon roads that will enable him to go to town, to church, to the school house, and to the homes of his neigh bors, as occasion may require, and with the ex ' (Continued on Page 5.) ii -i ; I I! 4 ILEE ggpl