you, this is no proposition to levy a tax, or to enhance taxation in any degree. It is simply to provide for the taxes already levied to be applied in a certain manner. When this is done, I have always believed that the legislature in equalizing the taxes of the State should exempt the property upon which this levy is made from any additional levy for any purpose whatsoever until all property, both real and personal, has been equalized with the automobile tax before mentioned. This would be equality and exact justice, a principle for which we all do, or should, stand.

All attempts to develop roads by first building local roads have failed. Not until trunk lines are built will there be any material advance in road building. These trunk lines will be educational in their effects and will bring about a desire for building local feeder lines. Otherwise there will be no desire or reason for the existence of such local feeders. Branch railroad lines were built after the trunk lines were established-otherwise they could not have existed.

While discrimination, as between districts, is neither wise nor fair, never the less if any preference should be favored by road building the farming and rural districts are entitled to first consideration, for the reason that they need roads more than the urban centers do; and, what is more, they need help to build them. In most districts they can not of themselves furnish the funds necessary with which to build. We favor a State or Interstate system of roads to be built and in part maintained by the National Government, or in co-operation with the States, which will serve national purposes and likewise be the heavy traffic main trunk lines within the several States. Such a system will relieve the States of any cost of their construction and maintenance. Thus relieved the States can build more miles than now of State highways, thereby reaching more remote farming districts than are now reached. Such a system of State Highways will likewise be the heavy traffic lines within the several counties. They will be connected with the National or Interstate System, and by receiving appropriations from the Federal Government under the provisions of the Federal Aid Act together with the automobile and truck license funds to be appropriated and applied to the building of such State System will thus relieve the counties of any cost for their construction and maintenance. Such system of Interstate and State roads can be built immediately, and will not cost the people of the State or county one dollar for their construction and maintenance. Thus relieved the counties can build more miles than now of other or secondary county roads, thereby still further reaching out into the more remote farming districts. Such a system of county roads will likewise be the traffic roads within their respective counties, and therefore, finally, the township or district roads can build

more miles than now of their lighter traffic roads and thereby reach those farming districts farthest from our market towns and railroads.

By this four-fold system of roads there will be an impetus as yet unthought of, given to road building throughout the State. Authority and responsibility will be logically and econom ically divided and fixed without conflict arising. Uniformity and efficiency will be established. Rivalry in maintenance will exist between the different systems. This will give us "good roads everywhere" by a well balanced, connected system of National State, County and Township Highways.

The monies thus raised and appropriated will get into roads where it belongs, and not into politics where it does not belong. The cost will be equitably distributed upon those communities best able to bear the burden. By this system any State can build at least one to ten thousand miles of State and Interstate Highways, insuring to every county in the State at least one such road throughout its length, and in many of the counties several of such roads.

If every State provides for a State bond issue and Federal Aid money appropriated to the building of such system, and the automobile license fund as above mentioned shall be set apart to pay the interest and principal of such bond issue, then the entire system, Interstate and State, will not cost the people of such State one copper cent. When this is done you can adopt the "Pay as you go" plan, and build a system of worthwhile roadsand you can do this in no other way. The "Pay as you go" plan assumes, of course, that you have the money on hand. This you will not have if you lose Federal Aid and then divide the automobile tax according to the number licensed in each county. To adopt the "Pay as you go" plan you must have State funds with which to co-operate with the Agricultural Department at Washington in order to receive such aid. In other words, your only hope is to have State road funds with which to co-operate in securing the Federal Funds. This, of course, you can raise by a direct levy of a tax upon all property in the State, but this method would be disastrous to your vast interests. You have the money at your fingers' ends, if you will simply set aside the automobile and gasoline tax as State funds for the purposes of road construction.

If this were a movement to levy a special tax upon one species of property, it would be vicious in the extreme, and ought not to be adopted. But such is not the object. There is no purpose anywhere to levy an additional tax upon such property, but simply to appropriate the taxes already levied to the purpose of building and maintaining such system of roads. Twenty-four States have adopted this plan and it has given satisfaction.

WASHINGTON MONUMENT. Washington Place, North Charles Street and Mt. Vernon Place, Baltimore. Usually considered the touring center of that city. Peabody Institute on the right; across the street, also on the right, the Mt. Vernon Church. View looking up North Charles Street.

as it

But, it may be asked, why should the States appeal to the Federal Government either to build roads of its own volition and expense, or to furnish aid to the States in carrying on such improvements as these? Well, there are various reasons, seems to me, why the Federal Government should take a hand in such an enterprise. First, and foremost, the Government may at any time have good and sufficient reasons for using these roads. But, without entering upon a discussion of this question, it may suffice to say that in the original formation of the Government, the thirteen States constituting the Government, as new territories became eligible to Statehood, the Enabling Acts, authorizing such territories to come into the Union, the 13 States took over all the lands in such new States and sold them, and applied the proceeds as the Federal Government thought fit. Without making this discussion too tedious, let me illustrate the whole proposition by saying, that when Wisconsin applied for admission to the Union, the Act of Congress contained the same provision that had been applied to at least twentynine States of the Union, that the Government would return to such State five per cent of the net proceeds of the sales of public lands in that State to be applied to the construction of highways. Abraham Lincoln, then a member of Congress, offered to amend it by setting aside each alternate section, and providing that the net proceeds of the sale of such section should be applied to road construction, instead of 'the five per cent. This was refused, and thereafter each alternate section was turned over, very generally, to semi-public corporations for the purpose of building railroads. What a different situation we would be facing today if Mr. Lincoln's proposition had 'prevailed! But, instead, the new States were left by the Government to work out their own salvation. We delight in saying that "We are the richest nation in the world." Europe is prostrate, and the universal cry is for "raw material." We are 'ready to furnish it. We, the United States, have but six per cent of the world's population and own but seven per cent of the land, and yet we produce 66 per cent of the oil, 75 per cent of the corn, 67 per cent of the meat, 60 per cent of the cotton, 52 per cent of the coal, 33 per cent of the silver, 40 per cent of the iron and steel, 25 per cent of the wheat, 20 per cent of the gold and 40 per cent of the railroads, totaling one-third or more, of the total wealth of the world.

Then, look for one moment at our railroad situation. Our total railroad mileage is 261,177 miles. The Eastern district has 59,080 miles; the Southern district has 42,752 miles. While the Middle West and Western district has 159,345 miles, more than one-half of the total mileage, all capitalized at $22,000,000,000. More than two-thirds of our railroad mileage is in the South and West, and more than four-fifths of the raw material, while

the nine Eastern States-New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, having only five per cent of the area of 'the United States, have one-half the National wealth, and will, therefore, or ought to, pay 'one-half the cost of building and for ever maintaining either a system of National Highways or Interstate Highways. Thus, the people of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming would each pay under an equal and fair division of taxes each year for their system of National or Interstate Highways, only $1.50 for twenty years, and you would never know how or when you paid it. These thirty-nine states of the West, Middle West and 'South have three hundred and ninety Senators and Representatives in Congress and a majority of one hundred and twenty-four votes, therefore the West, Middle West and South have the power to gain this entire system of roads at one-half their cost and maintenance forever, by simply waking up and asserting themselves, and this is absolutely fair, equitable and just.

Now, for fully forty years a movement has been inaugurated and constantly carried forward to 'consolidate this entire vast systems of railways into a single system, or zoning system, and all terminating at Atlantic harbors owned by the Railroads, and to that end, I had almost said, the railroads have selected their cwn Interstate Commerce Commission, and there is hardly a doubt but that such an effort will 'be carried into effect in the near future; and mark you, the great bread basket of this country is without any representation whatever on the Interstate Commerce Commission!

Will it be said that this is outside of any proper discussion to bring before the people in this way? It seems to me that it is entirely appropriate, because we are considering the transportation question, pure and simple, and the wagon roads of the country are the primary features of all transportation questions. There is no real conflict between the railroads and the wagon roads of the country, but on the contrary they should, and will, work in perfect harmony. The most insignificant product of the farm cannot 'be transported to the general markets of the country unless they are provided with the means of getting the products to the railroads. Neither is there any conflict between through roads, National or Interstate 'in character, because each supplements the other and each is of advantage to the other. We have worked, heretofore, in perfect harmony with the great Santa 'Fe