Congress And The Highways

It has been said that the pqeins-of 8ir Walter Seott lid inuch to teoiper the political feelings bet ween JS&gl&nd ;unl Scotland; but who can doubt "th.it tingrcut military ruads oponed by Marshal Wade throngh the Highlands of Sootland and [xjrfocted and extended by Thomas Ttelford have dono more ft the civilization of toti llighlaudrrs tiian the preoedttng èfforts of all the Brit&h monarchs?" The question of intornal improveinents is one of vital importanee to the national and state govornments. Whether it is lawful for congress to appropriate money for the construction of highways dependa entirelj' ujion the interpretation of tho constitution regardin the powers grimted by it. We ttfid thut as early as 1800 the national government, by Kj)ocial appropriation and gjauts, lid mako provisión for the Curaberland road, and though Madison, Monroe and Jackson feit coinpelled to veto similar bilis on constitutional grounds they never for a moment denied the wisdom of appropriating money for Bfcch But with regard to the state there is no question. The same provisión which permita tho construction and maintcnance of cánula enables hei to construct and maintain roads, and to this end there is before the New York state legislature at Albany a bilí providing for the constructiou by the state of two macadam highways in each county, said highways to be continuous and to intellect as nearly as may be at the county seat. When completed this plan will embrace about 3,000 miles of roadway, and to cost $10,000,000. The ndvantages of the plaTi are that it throws the cost of constj-uction and repair equally upon the as8essable proj)erty of the state, and serves, at the same time, as tui object lesson to the counties, which, soeing the value of good roads, will insist upon their construction. At lirst it may seem to some that the plan imposes an nnjust tax upon our cities; but when we reflect that good roads are equally beneflcial to every citizen, whether in city or country, and that our thirty-two cities paid in 1888 a trifle less than one-half of the taxes, there will appear to be no just cause f or complaint. - Address by Dr. Charles S. Butler.