OCR Text |
Show President-elect of Venezuela Leads in Building Mod- I em System i "There is a touch of wizardry in tho results that have followed tho inauguration inaugu-ration by General Juan Vicente Gomez, Go-mez, president-elect of Venezuela, of a now and daring policy tho net-workfrig net-workfrig of that republic with a series ot motor highways that arc designed literally to take the place of railroad expansion," writes Harry Chapin Plummer in tho American Motorist. "Aladdin with his wonderful lamp," 'says Mr. Plummer, "scarce could havo conjured up a genii of more pliant obedience obe-dience and Borvico than has General Gomez in his development of a broad and sweeping means of communication communica-tion between tidewater and the most remote interior and mountain districts somo of them historic Spanish colonies colo-nies in the Cordilleras of the Andes that were flourishing long before thej landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth Rock, and some of them dense tropical areas. "About 1800 miles of these highways, high-ways, built to withstand the heaviest' motor truck traffic, are now open and more are in process of construction. "One has but to contrast the present pres-ent facilities and opportunities of the! Venezuelan travel with the impassable' obstacles of only a few years ago to realizo what manner of magic the 'Regenerator,' 'Re-generator,' as his people are wont to call Governor Gomez, has wrought for; that most beautiful of southern lands."; After discussing what theso changed. conditions promise for American In- ( dustry and commerce, Mr. Plummer concludes: , "By the creation of tho Venezuelan' motor-road system a land of limitless, and, for the most part, untouched, natural nat-ural resources, and a people of delightfully delight-fully human qualities and fine sensibilities sensi-bilities havo been brought into Inti-' mate contact with the avenues of ma-1 rino traffic to and from tho United States. The resulting opportunities for the spread of American political social and commercial influence aro quite without restriction. In the case1 of the Venezuelans of every rank and walk in life no bias nor prejudice against Americans are needed to be! circumvented or overcome. Personal and corporate honesty nnd good faith will bo mot in kind and true Americanism Ameri-canism in the traveler, be he tourist or manufacturer's agent, will be found to be appreciated as nowhere else In the western hemisphere." |