Show I MAil ROADS FIRST TO BE CONSIDERED National Highways Convention at Washington Discusses Ways lays and Means L TAXATION l A A TION is DISCUSSED That That the tho national government participation partle- partle in the highways pr progress gress of or ortho tho c country should hould first concentrate Itself upon mail roads was the predominant nant current of ot opinion In the second fe federal eral aid goods roa roads convention hold holdIn holdIn In Washington ton D D. C C. during inauguration ura- ura tion w week ek Called b by br the American Automobile association motorist delegates dele dole gates ates nevertheless s were In the minority as general roads bodies and chambers of or commerce ommer e tho the greater part of or tho several hundred representatives ent t es from the six forty states which in ono one form or another were embraced In th the tho wide nation gathering Members of or congress In many Instances of or I their homo home or organizations and their ut utterances ut- ut Indicated d growing knowledge of or th the bigness of oC the subject One of the features of or the cO convention conven conven- en tt tion n was the call at tho White House President Wilson receiving the dele dele- sates gates In the thc east room and expressing lo to o them his great Interest In hl highways hwa s 's sIm Im improvement ro ement John A A. Wilson first v Ice president of the A A. A A. A A. A introduced the good roads advocates ad to the nations nation's chief c executive o who paid a special compliment to Chairman George Geor-e C C. C Diehl in reference to his extensive knowledge of the roads question The speakers of the convention con were of ot national repute and th the subject was considered principally from n n. federal standpoint though reference was re repeatedly repeatedly re- re mado made to the fact that state systems of roads with county count and township township town town- ship tributaries v were cro of or prime Irime Importance Importance importance tance and required thorough consideration consideration consider consider- atlon In the rounding out of the tho count country's coun coun- t try's ys roads transportation problem Situation Summed Slimmed Up of or orthe Xo more moro concrete concrete- summing up the situation was as express expressed d than than that employed cd by b Charles B. B D Stetson chairman chairman chair chair- man of ot the executive committee of oC the tho national grange grame who in concluding his address said W c do not believe that federal aid aM means the appropriating approprIating- of ot national funds for tor local Improvements of or roads It t is certainly inh wrong to ask national aid aM to do what properly belongs to the local community to perform and In Inan an any good roads movement the state tato Is tho the unit to which the municipality should look ook for fOl aid and the state In turn to operate co with the th national Jon government for Interstate roads road and other uther roa roads s that are of ot sufficient Importance Im Ira- to to warrant tho the employment of or national aid In building Any other course Is untenable unconstitutional and basically wrong But Vi we v e do ask of the men who are tr trying and conscientiously con con- trying to build Interstate and und transcontinental highways as to remember remember re- re member the necessity of ot Improving the road from the home to the city of thet man nan who ho is promoting the great basic industry L of ot our country L' L to the L end that au an au toe people in HI mis great n country may ultimately be benefited The committee on resolutions comprised comprised com corn a n member from every everyone one of ot the tort six forty states which sent delegates delegate and before Chairman L L. R R. Speare and his associates concluded their labors Jabors sessions were required In the adoption of ot the c committees committee's report the tho convention unequivocally placed Itself on re record ord as favoring a plan of ot inter inter- state roads the tho preamble and ana resolution resolution tion reading reading- a. a as J follows Whereas In the tho development of or our country's transporting appliances appliances appliances ances for tor man and goods from place to place it has become almost the universal will of the people of the United States for tor better roads therefore be it Resolved that we e recommend our federal government gO to build and maintain an Interstate s system of or highways s 's connecting the capitals of ot the various states and with tho the national capital In the following resolution all states were ur urged cd to establish highways departments de de- de- de I Resolved that we WC advocate tho the creation wherever where the thc they do not now exist of effective departments departments depart depart- ments meats of highways in the various states and that copy cop of ot this resolution resolution resolution reso reso- lution bo ho sent to the governor of or each cach state Congress was a thus asked to create a a. standing roads committee Whereas federal aid for tor good hn hns homA of nt national interest i ir r st and nd l Importance ip and d n Whereas h real the thc second federal aid good roads convention feel ee that this subject should be bo considered b by Congress with the greatest care therefore be bo It Itne ne Resolved that Congress bo be re respectfully re- re requested to create a a. standing committee on national loads roads After the speech of ot Staton Warburton ton of lot Washington Washing In which he lie advocated advocated 11 0 a system of or national military roads an and put forward the tho proposition of or paying for tor- thorn them b by a restoration of ot tho thc tobacco tax of ot 1879 a. a rC resolution was vas passed calling caning for n n. renewal of th the former tax rato and the thc use of tho the excess In building n n. national or Interstate Interstate interstate Inter Inter- state system of or hl highways IH a An amendment offered b by Representative cn- cn Dor IDorsey Dorey e W. W Shackleford of or Missouri Mis Mis- providing pro that the money rai raised ed by this taxation be set apart as aR a fund to be applied to the construction or I maintenance or both of or such roads as Congress Cong shall give aid to by legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- I tion received reach only two votes Mr 11 Shackleford Is the tho author of the proposition I for the payment of ot roads rental by the national government for roads used In rural free tree delivery I Tho Thc convention committee on resolutions resolutions resolutions was authorized authorised to appear before the Joint committee of or Congress COIl on federal fed- fed eral elal aid |