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Show SVANSEN'S SCHEME FOR G00DR0ADS Asks Government to Spend $20,000,000 Per Year on Post Roads. . . i WASHINGTON, July 7. The annual appropriation of $20,000,000 for five years to improve the post roads aad rural delivery routes of the government waa urged in the senate today by Mr. Swanson of Virginia. Mr. bwanson explained that his plan would open up more than 1,000,000 miles of roada to government aid, that the states or local 'authorities would furnish fur-nish an amount equal to that appropriated appropri-ated by the federal government, and that the total would be divided among the statee, according to population.- - - He aaid the limitation te postal roads and rules eliminated any eonatitutionai objections. The bill would create a road department, eonaisting of engineers and capable officials to carry out the project. Beginning of End of Bad Boada, "The federal government," aaid Senator Sen-ator Swanson, ''should delay no longer extending to the state and local authorities author-ities generous aid for road improvement. improve-ment. Whea the federal government commences to bear ita share of the burden bur-den of improving public roads, that duty will mark tha beginning of the end of bed roada in this nation." "Our wealth," Senator Swanson eon-tinned, eon-tinned, "ia greater today than that of any other nation; we have become supreme su-preme in finance and foremost in the world 'a commerce; we aurpasa in money expended for primary ana general education edu-cation and mileage of railroads, navigable navi-gable rivers and improved harbors; the story of our progress reads mora like romance than history." Yet, he eaid, no other . enlightened people in the world are cursed with such a wretched condition nf roeda. with more than nine-tenths of the pub-lie pub-lie roads and highways in the United States during rainy aeasoaa almost impassable. im-passable. Ha aaid it ia estimated that 90 per cent of our internal commerce (whleh exeeeda tbe " inter foreign commerce com-merce of the entire world") must first or last ba hauled over the public roads." "Mod Tax" Enormbua. The average haul of this vaat commerce com-merce over the public highwavs has been estimated at a little more than nine miles, averaging in eoet 23 eents per ton per mile, against 7 eents in France and 11 cents in England and Germany. Based oa estimates of what he termed good authoritieo, improvement improve-ment of maia linea of the system of roads ia this eountrv along methods adopted abroad, would aave In hauling more than $23,000,000 annually to tbe people of the United States. This is what Senator Bwanson calls "the mud tax" paid each year by Americans for hauling their products over poor roads. Senator Swanson contended that the people of tha United 8tatea should be treated by the government aa generously generous-ly aad eonaiderately in the matter of road improvement as are the people in the American colonies, for whosa roads the Washington government bat appropriated appro-priated generously. He laid that ia hit bill he had endeavored so to safeguard the federal government that it would spend no money aad Incur no expense except after it had received full value ia improved roads. Only UarUoTona Claim Withdrawn. The only possibly meritorious claim for the paseace of the Canadian reciprocity recipro-city blU was withdrawn by President Taft at his recent address In Indianapolis, when he said tbe bill would not diminish the cost of llvlns. declared Senator Thornton of Louisiana, a Democrat, today. to-day. In addressing the senate Senator Thornton Mid the farmers of the country should not be "bunkoed" by the enactment of tbe bill: that tlie bill was not a Democratic measure, and that therefore he felt free to, carry out his pledtee to -the people at Louisiana In vollna seal net It, even If he did not follow fol-low hla pactr In the senate In so doing. "It could never have been framed by anv Demorrarlc committee." declared Senator Thornton, "for no hill that combines com-bines free trade for aarlcufturml products with protection for manufactures oouid possibly be Democratic" He contended that the hill violated the treat Democratic prln-rple of equality, but admitted that It would be enacted Into law. Senator Thornton advocated the reduction reduc-tion of duties on shoes and woolen Ifcjjrt:a |