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The Commoner.
MAY IB, 1903..
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GOOD ROADS.
(Continued from Pago 3.)
tension of rural delivery ho lias an additional
need for good roads in order that he may bo kept
in communication with thooutsldo world.
A great deal has been said, and properly so,
in regard to the influence of gooa rortds upon
education. In the meeting held at Raleigh, N. C,
last year, the speeohes which I had the pleasure
of reading placed great emphasis upon tho fact
that it is impossible to have a school system
such as we ought to have, unless tho roads are
in condition for tho children to go to school.
'And Professor Jesse, in the excellent speech to
which you listened this morning, also took this
position. I hardly know whether to feel grateful
to him or indignant that he presented one of the
thoughts that I intended to suggest, yet, he pre
sented it so much better than I could, that I
think my gratitude overcomes my indignation.
I was thinking this morning, before I reached
here, that while we are building great libraries
in tho cities, wo do not -have libraries in the
country; and there ought to be a library in ev
ery community. Instead of laying upon the
farmer the burden of buying his own books, we
ought to make it possible for the farmers to have
the same opportunity as the people in the cities,
to use the same hooks, and thus economize on the
expense of a library. But Professor Jesse brought
that out, and not only spoke of the library that
ought to be connected with the school house, but
also mentioned . nother tiling -which I feel to bo
important, namely, the country high school. Havo
you ever thought what an advantage the child
fin a city has over the child in the country? Our
'country school houses teach the lower grades,
but it is imposible in any community to havo
a high graded school with only a few students,
except at great expense. In cities, when a child
gets through the graded school, still living at
homo and without expense to himself or his par
ents, he is able to go on tnrough the high school.
But if tho country boy or girl desires 10 go from
the graded school to the high school, as a rule
it is necessary to go to the county seat and there
board with someone; so the expense to the coun
try child is much greater than to the child in the
city. I was glad, therefore, to hear Professor
Jesse speak of such a consolidation of schools
as will give to tho children In the country advant
age equal to those enjoyed by tho children of
the city.
' And as you study this subject, you find it
reaches out in every direction; that it touches us
at every vital point. What can be of more in
terest to every parent than bringing instruction
within the reach of every child? It does not
matter whether a man has children himself or
not. He may have a small family, like the grad
uates of Yale and Harvard are said to have (they
average about three), or he may have a family
large enough to excite the admiration of the
- president. No matter whether he has few chil
dren or many; every citizen of a community is
interested in the Intellectual life of that com
munity. Sometimes I havo her.rd people com
plain because, having few children, they thought
themselves overburdened with taxes for the edu
cation of other people's children. My friends, tho
man who has no children cannot afford to live
in a community where there are children grow
ing up in ignorance; and the man with none has
- the same Interest as the man with many, barring
the personal pride of the parent.
Anything, therefore, that contributes to tho
general diffusion of knowledge, anything that
makes more educated boys and girls throughout
our country is a matter of intense Interest to
every citizen, whether he be tho father of a
family or not; whether he lives in the country or
in the town.
And ought not the people to have an oppor
tunity to attend church? Why, my friends, I am
coming; to believe that what we need in this
- country even more than the training of the in
tellect, is the development of the moral side of
our natures. I believe with Jefferson, that the
church and the stato should be separate. I be
. lievo in religious freedom, and I would not have
any man's conscience fettered by act of law.
But I do believe that the welfare of this nation
demands that man's moral nature shall be edu
cated in keeping with his brain and hls body.
In fact, I have come to define civilization' as the
harmonious development of tho body, tho mind
and tho heat. And wo mako a mistake if wo be
lieve that this nation can fulfill its high destiny
and mission, either with moro athletes, or oven
with scholars. Wo need tho education of tho
moral sense. And if theso good roads will en
able men, women and childron to go moro fre
quently to church, and tnero hear expounded tiio
gospel, and thero receive tho inspiration that
comes from tho holding up of tho life of tho
Man of Gallilee, that alone is reason enough for
good roads. '
Then, too, I am satisfied that the people of
the country do not havo enough of social life.
It is one of the things that wo all should regret,
that the extremes of society havo been pushed
so far apart, that some who think themselves at
tho top know nothing but society, while thoso
who are declared to be at tho bottom, know noth
ing of society.
Again, the people of tho towns, especially tho
rural towns, aro Interested in making it possi
ble for tho people in the country to reach' their
local market or trading place during all times of
tho year, for, throughout tho agricultural portion
of the country, at least, tho villages and tho
cities rest upon and derive their support from
the farms.
I think I ought to make this plain. I once said
in a speech (1896): "Burn down your cities and
leave our farms, and your cities will spring up
again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and
grass will grow in tho streets of every city in tho
country." I thought I was stating a truth; I
never supposed it could be distorted, but when
the election was over I received a dodger which
had been circulated just before tho election, say
ing in big letters: "Burn the cities," without
anything else, and It was declared to be the ut
terance of "Anarchist Bryan." So I think it is
necessary to qualify the statement a little and
assure you that I do not want to destroy tho
cities; I simply want to remind you of a very
patent fact, and that is, that the cities rest upon
the country. That the farm is tho life of the
cities, and that especially in the agricultural com
munities the people in the cities aro intensely
and vitally interested in enabling the people of
the country to get into the towns to do their
trading. Sometimes I have heard country mer
chants express dissatisfaction because tho peopla
of tho country sometimes buy of tho mail
order houses. If tho country merchant wants
to keep the trade at homo let him help to make
roads good between the patron and his stor.
That is tho best way. He cannot expect that
people who aro prevented from going to town
will refuse to utilize the best means of supply
k ing their needs. I repeat that people in the town
aro interested in making it possible for the peo
ple of the country to get into town.
There is a broader view of this question,
however, that deserves consideration. The farm
Is, and always has been, conspicuous because of
the physical development it produces, the intel
lectual strength it furnishes and the morality it
encourages. The young people in tho country
find health and vigor in the open air and in the
exercise which farm life gives; they acquire hab
its of Industry and economy; their work gives
them opportunity for thought and reflection;
their contact with nature teacheB them rever
ence, and their environment promotes good hab
its. The farms supply our colleges with their
best students and they also supply our cities
with leaders in business and professional life.
In the country there Is neither great wealth nor
abject poverty "the rich and the poor meet to
gether" and recognize that "the Lord is the
Father of them all." There is a fellowship and,
to use the word in itfj broadest sense, a democ
racy, in the country that is much needed today to
temper public opinion and protect the founda
tions of free government A larger percentage
of the people in the country than in the city
study public questions, and a smaller percentage
either corrupt or are corrupted. It is important,
therefore, for the welfare of our government and
for the advancement of our civilization that we
make life upon the farm aa attractive as possible.
Statistics havo shown the constant increase in
the urban population and the -relative decrease in
the rural population from decade to decade. With
out treading upon controversial ground or con
sidering whether this trend 1ms been increased by
legislation hostile to the farm, I may suggest that
the government is In duty bound to jealously
guard the interests of the rural population, and
as far as it can, make farm life Inviting. And it
may be added, comfort is a relative rather than
a positive term. Transportation by wagon did
not seem slow until the steam engine made more
rapid travel possible. The tallow candle seemed
bright until It was dimmed by oil, gas and elec
tricity; tho flint and tho stool woro convenient
enough until tho friction match displaced thorn.
In tho employment of modern conveniences tho
city has considerably outstripped tho country,
and naturally so, for in a densely populated com
munity tho pcoplo can by "co-operation supply
themselves with wator, light and rapid transit at
much smaller coat than thoy can in a sparsoly
sottled country. But It is evident that during
tho last few years much has been done to in
crease tho comforts of tho farm.
In tho first placo, tho rural delivory has
placed millions of farmers in daily communica
tion with tho world. It has brought not only tho
letter, but tho newspaper to tho door. Its prom
ised enlargement and extension will make it pos
sible for tho wife to order from tho village store
and havo her purchases delivered by tho mail
carrier.
Tho telephone is also .a great boon to the
farmor. It lessons by one-half tho timo required
to secure a physician in caso of accident or ill
ness an Invention which every mother can ap
preciate. In a hundred ways it saves timo and
steps.
Tho improvements in tho methods of manu
facturing gas, and tho invention of machines
suitable for family use, must not be overlooked.
It 1b now possible for every farmer to install at
a small expense a gas plant sufficient for tho
production of the light necessary for his house.
While tho extension of tho system of private
water plants has not been quite so rapid, It is
still very marked. Probably no one modern con
venience enjoyed In the cities Is more missed in
tho country than tho water system that supplies
tho kitchen and tho bth-room. No woman who
lives, or visits awhile, Ju tho city can return to
the country without noticing the difference be
tween tho faucet and the pump.
Tho extension of tho electric car lino also
deserves notice. It is destined to enlarge tho
limits of the city and to increase the number of
one, two, five and ten-acro farms at the expenso
of flats and tenement houses. Tho suburban
homo will brinjg light and hope to millions of
children.
.But after all that has been done and Is being
done by the improvements above referred to,
there still remains a pressing need for better coun
try roads, a need emphasized and made moro
apparent by the pavement of city streets. As long
as mud placed an embargo upon city traffic tho
farmer could bear his mud-made Isolation with
less complaint, but with the Improvement of city
streets and with the establishment of parks and
boulevards, the farmers' just demand for better
roads finds increasing expression.
Just to what extent action should bo takon
by the federal government, the state government,
tho county and the precinct, or in what propor
tion the burden should bo borne Is a question
for discussion, but that country roads should bo
constructed with a view to permanent and con
tinuous use js scarcely open to debate.
There must bo a recognition of disease be
fore thero can be an intelligent discussion of a
remedy; but when tho disease Is once located tho
people may be depended upon to find not only a
remedy, but the right remedy. The people aro
beginning to realize that bad roads aro indefens
ible and are prepared to consider tho remedy.
I have discussed simply tho disease, and havo
tried to point out that we are not helping tho
farmer to keep up with the progress of the towns
people. I have tried to show that from every
standpoint, from tho farmer's standpoint, from
the standpoint of tho citizen of the town, and
from the broader standpoint of the patriot, tho
farmer's Interests must be looked after. And
when this disease of bad road's is once under
stood, then you can trust the intelligence of tlo
American people to do whatever Is necessary.
Meetings like this will not only emphasize the
fact that bad roads arc intolerable, but will bring
cut men who are interested in theso questions,
who have studied them, and can present remedies
for your consideration. And I have such con
fidence in tho patriotism and intelligence of tho
American people that I believe that in tho clash
. of Ideas and conflict of views, tho best will always
be triumphant, the people having tho benefit of.
the combined wisdom of all the people.
In some countries the people have not tho
right to suggest, not even the right to pass upon
a suggestion; but under our form of government
the people not only havo a right to sit in judg
ment upon every suggestion made, but have the
right of suggestion; and in this "multitude of
counsel there is safety."
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