. American highways; a popular account of their conditions, and of the means by which they may be bettered . been brought into a tolerably satisfactory state. Ex-perience, however, shows that, even with people as patri-otic in relation to the interests of their neighborhood asAmericans generally are, it is impossible to develop awell-considered plan of roads. Even where these existwithin the limits of a small community they are neverproperly related to those of the adjacent is no sense whatever of the commonwealth in theirplanning or administration. NEED OF CONTROL BY STA
. American highways; a popular account of their conditions, and of the means by which they may be bettered . been brought into a tolerably satisfactory state. Ex-perience, however, shows that, even with people as patri-otic in relation to the interests of their neighborhood asAmericans generally are, it is impossible to develop awell-considered plan of roads. Even where these existwithin the limits of a small community they are neverproperly related to those of the adjacent is no sense whatever of the commonwealth in theirplanning or administration. NEED OF CONTROL BY STATES There are sufficient reasons in the nature of man why itis impossible in any state to provide a fit system of high-ways by the action of boards which have only local author-ity, and which are necessarily swayed by purely local, ifnot individual, interests. As before remarked, no goodsystem of roads has ever been developed without a largeauthority lodged in the hands of some central administra-tion. Under any other system we may expect at bestoccasional good roads, which will serve only the needs of. A ROAD NEAR TEYON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA. THE GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OF ROADS 93 those who pay for them, and will have no reference to thepoorer or less enterprising comnmnities which may lie oneither hand. It is therefore evident that the alternativein the matter of bettered w^ays is between a system ofwhat may be termed state roads, or roads which, as re-gards their location and maintenance, are under the con-trol of some central authority and the toll system. SYSTEM OF CONTROL BY PRIVATE CORPORATIONS The consideration of the toll system may be shortlymade by a slight study as to the effect which it has on thedevelopment of a community, and the tolerance by thatcommunity of the method. The best illustration which isto be had of this method is to be found in the common-wealth of Kentucky, where practically all the importanthighways, to the extent of several thousand miles in leng
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1896
