Good Roads Advocated At The Farmer's Picnic

Six Thousand People Gathered to Enjoy the Pleasures of the Day

Good Speeches and Good Singing - Congressman Sam W. Smith, C. E. Townsend and Capt. E. P. Allen, the Orators

Another farmers picnic at Whitmore Lake has passed into history and a most successful one it proved to be in spite of the dusty roads which somehow seem to mark all farmers picnics.

The point of distinction between this picnic and most of the previous ones lay in the freedom those who attended experienced from solicitation for votes or support at the caucuses or conventions. This does not mean that there were no candidates present. The millenium has not come yet. But the few candidates present were modest in pushing their candidacy and their number was not legion. Within three weeks the republican primaries will be held yet the only announced republican candidates present were James Burke for sheriff, Tom Walsh for clerk and Henry Steinbach for treasurer. And the funny thing about it is that these are the only three men in the county who seem to want a republican nomination in this year of our Judsonism. In speaking of their candidacy one is tempted to drop into slang phraseology and exclaim, "Wouldn't that jar you?"

There were several democratic candidates for sheriff present but they seemed to be travelling in couples and to be the best of friends, simply enjoying the picnic. Perhaps they remembered that Durand and Wood were' both nominated without being candidates in conventions where there were active candidates.

WHAT THEY DID.

Boating, dancing, picnic dinners, walking up and down the crowded streets, riding the merry-go-round, firing at targets, throwing balls, drinking lemonade and - yes, something stronger, social converse, listening to good speeches and Jim Harkins funny dialect songs, swallowing dust driving home- that made up a full program. And a pleasant program it was after all. It was an ideal day in all but dust and that is with us always on these picnic days. The crowd was a large one, at least 6,000. The closest attention was paid to the speaking and there were more ladies than usual who desired to hear the speaking.

The disappointment of the day was ;he absence of Judge Durand, who was not present owing to the advice of his physician. Very many said that was all they came for, to hear Judge Durand, but they had a good time in spite of this disappointment, and heard good speeches. In speaking of Judge Durand's temporary indisposition, the Detroit Evening News Flint dispatch of Saturday evening, says:

"Recently he got what seemed like a bad attack of billiousness which has not yielded very readily to treatment, so the medical advice to him is to take things as easy as possible for a little while longer. He drives out to his farm every day to watch the progress of work on some improvements he is making there. His physician assures him that he will be all right again soon."

TRIBUTE TO HON. WM. BALL.

Many familiar faces were absent, but none was more missed than that of Hon. William Ball, who was being Iaid at rest in Hamburg, while the picnic was in progress. Mr. Ball had been president of the association, had been a constant attendant at the picnics and had often spoken from its platform. And many were the kindly remembrances of him given utterance to in private conversation on the grounds.

In opening the exercises, President L. D. Lovell, of South Lyon, made some feeling remarks concerning Mr. Ball paying a high tribute to his character. Mr. Lovell presided with dignity and the program moved off in good shape.

RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

Congressman Sam W. Smith, of the Oakland-Livingston district was the orator of the day, or in other words he made the longest speech and it was a good speech too. He took up the question of rural free delivery, told how much it had done for the farmer, said that the government pays more for the railway cars than they ought and told how hard he worked for rural routes in his district, promising to renew his efforts if sent back. Five years ago there were 44 rural mail routes, today there are 9,461. It will take from 40,000 to 45,000 routes to supply the entire country. Before the next congress concludes its work, one third of the country will be supplied. Farms are worth more on free rural delivery routes. They will lease for more. The people are intensely interested everywhere. Of course they do not all agree as to where the routes shall run or from what starting point. But people who want routes must give and take. So great is the demand for routes that the government has adopted the policy of delaying the establishment of routes where there is a protest until the rest of the petitions are satisfied.

The congressman next took up the question of good roads and his statement, "We want good roads," drew out great applause. He spoke of the fear people have in doing their duty of not being re-elected and believed that if in some way men could be appointed pathmasters so that they would not be afraid when spring came around great good would be accomplished. His illustration was of two alderman who were afraid to vote $400 to settle a street damage case in his county for fear of not being re-elected, which case went to the Supreme Court of the United States and finally cost the village $16,000. All over this country you have clay and gravel and you farmers can have good roads without shipping in crushed stones as some communities are obliged to do. Put your roads in good condition and in four years the government will deliver your mail in automobiles and not once a day but twice a day.

GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP.

He advocated the governmental ownership of telegraphs and telephones. telegraphs and telephones are interwoven with the mails. The government built the first telegraph line and operated it for some time. Such statesmen as Henry Clay were opposed to ever letting it get out of governmental control. Today we have two great telegraph companies. Did you ever think of their capitalization. In 1858 the Western Union capital stock was $385,000. Since that time it has been increased until it is now $100,000,000. How much in dividends have they declared? Never less than seven per cent. The government can float its bonds at a small fraction over two per cent. But year by year they have declared over seven per cent. dividend. In one year it was over 400 per cent. Sixty one per cent. of all the civilized nations own and operate their own telegraph lines in connection with their postoffices. He did not want the government to run these lines to make money, only to pay expenses. Over In England for a dispatch, for which we pay 25 cents for 10 words, they pay only a cent a word.

He advised farmers to give electric roads rights of way free of charge, as they enhanced the values of their farms. Electric roads, rural delivery and telephones are transforming farming and making farm life more comfortable.

George A. Peters, of Scio, said before he had free rural mail delivery he got his mail at 9 o'clock in the morning but now he didn't get it until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He wanted to know if his carrier couldn't reverse his route every other morning. Mr. Smith replied that the government couldn't take up these matters yet.

James E. Harkins sang his inimitable coon song, "I got mine," and in response to a vigorous encore, "The German Lullabye." Mr. Harkins, as usual, acted out his songs in the manner of Scanlan. His hearers would have gladly listened to him all the afternoon.

TOWNSEND'S SPEECH.

Charles E. Townsend opened by telling the story first given to campaigners by Gov. Nash, of Ohio, altho' Mr. Townsend did not give credit. It was of the boy who was trying to reload an overturned load of hay and did not want to desist for dinner because, as he said, his father would not like it, but was persuaded to do so by a farmer who wished to help him and who after several protestations of the fact that his father would not like the several delays that occurred, in reply to the question where his father was, said "Pa Is under the hay." Mr. Townsend said that Congressman Smith had talked about the mails, he was going to talk to the females. No great man can be found who has not said he owed whatever of greatness or grandeur he had to his mother or his wife. Inventions are constantly being made to lessen the labor of man and yet no man ever worked half as hard as women. He approved of whatever Congressman Smith had advocated. Still greater things were to be accomplished in th future than in the past. The women of this country are fashioning and shaping the destinies of the world. After uttering the axioms, that governments govern best that govern least and if we are going to bring about reform let us begin with the indivual, he concluded by reciting with great elocutionary effect a long poetical quotation, which he said was his religion:

"The wind that blows, that wind is best."

James E. Harkins sang "The Irish Jubilee," to the intense amusement of Mr. Townsend and the audience.

ALLEN ON GOOD ROADS.

Capt. E. P. Allen, the next speaker, believed in free rural mail delivery. telegraph and telephone conveniences and good roads. His story was about a great feast given some time ago, when a fine roast of pork was on the table. The carver cut out a large spare rib and holding it up on his fork said, "Ladies, this is what woman is made of." A little old lady spoke up, "Yes and from very much such an animal."

Capt. Allen said he had been appointed by the last legislature a member of the good roads commission. "There are five of us," he continued, "all getting rich on a salary of nothing and our travelling expenses paid by oursevles and we even have to go down in our pockets to get our report printed. There is a large opportunity for improvement in our public highways and we are undertaking to gather data."

It is simply astonishing to see the stupendous folly in the manner we spend our money for public highways. We don't realize these things. The good roads commission found that by the closest estimate of , the agricultural department the roads of this country have cost the enormous sum of ten billions of dollars. No man can estimate that sum any more than he can count the stars.

And yet your roads around Whitmore Lake are the same as when the pioneers were here. We have no roads. Farms are not worth as much by from 5 to 25 per cent. as they would be with good roads. He wouldn't drive to Brighton to night with no moon out anymore than he would swim the lake. It wouldn't be safe on account of the pitfalls on both sides of the road. We are going to try to make a new departure in building the highways of the state.

Among other things Capt. Allen said the electric road from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti had made the farms adjacent to it worth from $10 to $25 an acre more than they were before it was built.

At the conclusion of Capt. Allen's speech the election of officers was held and Emery Leland, of Northfield, was elected president and Frank Taylor, of Whitmore Lake, secretary.