team with a load they do not seem to pull the load; it just rolls along and they accompany. There are so many whose contributed taxes help pay for these roads who not only will never use but will never see them that it seems only fair that favored farmers and localities should contribute to their construction as much as the roads' present usefulness and luxury will add to the market value of their property. This would be a mere change of equivalents, and there would remain in their favor the everyday perpetual use of a public good, with such accruing personal advantage and enjoyment as is permitted to only a part of their fellow-citizens who are fellow-contributers to the public treasury. Such discrimination would somewhat disarm opposition that is honest and somewhat restrain the eager, me-first rivalry for the palpable and recognized value of the public improvement to the fortunate and successful property owners. I am aware that the amendment provides for the payment, according to benefit, by added township rate or proportion. I know that in many parts of our State the presence of such a convienience seems to be a far-off hope, and that their share of contribution to their construction in other localities is given with the taxation without representation feeling. The roads themselves are an undeniable benefit. BULLETIN No. 10. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. OFFICE OF ROAD INQUIRY. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ROAD CONFERENCE HELD AT THE WESTMINSTER CHURCH, ASBURY PARK, N. J., JULY 5 AND 6, 1894. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. CONTENTS. Page. Response for North Carolina by Prof. J. A. Holmes Response for Maryland by Mr. D. C. Wharton Smith 61 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ROAD CONFERENCE, HELD AT WESTMINSTER CHURCH, ASBURY PARK, N. J., THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, JULY 5 AND 6, 1894. THURSDAY-MORNING SESSION. Mr. E. G. HARRISON. Gentlemen of the conference, the committee of arrangements have nominated for president of this convention Governor Fuller, of Vermont. The nomination of Governor Fuller was carried unanimously. Hon. E. G. Harrison, of Asbury Park, was elected secretary. ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. The convention is so far completed in its organization, having selected a chairman and a scribe, that I take this opportunity to thank you, gentlemen, for the honor which you do the Good Roads League of Vermont, of which I have the honor to be president, in calling me to the chair. I am pleased that this has been marked out as a sort of old-fashioned conference, where they have the "amen corner," where you can shout if you like anything that is said, and if the theology gets a little strong for you you can keep silent in the back pew. [Laughter.] Upon this delightful morning, the beginning of a new year in the nation's growth, fanned by cool ocean breezes, all feel those refreshing and patriotic emotions which the occasion brings forth. With this inspiration we come here this morning to take up the question which has been so long neglected in this nation. Four hundred years ago this land was unknown, but during all these later generations there has been witnessed the process of development. Fifty years ago the iron rail came as an element of civilization and has gone on increasing with such speed that to day 200,000 miles of steel rails line the continent; and yet, along with all these and running parallel with them, are a million and a half of miles of poor road-the worst roads that the world has ever seen, excepting the Great Sahara of Africa. And now, amid the multiplicity of American homes, from the Pacific slope, the Great Lakes of the North, from the Gulf-indeed, from ocean to ocean— we come together to get the benefit of each other's experience upon this question and acknowledge the failures which have been made, aud come up like men and say there is a better way. The geologist and the engineer here in your most delightful State of New Jersey have made a splendid exhibition of good roads-good roads built with little money, leaving still something in your pocket, that future generations who will occupy your places when you are gone may enjoy the benefit. So all this exchange of experience can be had here, and we can see what it is best for us to take home to tell the people in our own localities. Three or four years ago we began to agitate this question in Vermont. There the people have a way of knowing precisely what they want; so when we began to talk about good roads, they said, "Yes, that is precisely what we want." In one town a man said, "We have got wonderfully good roads, a natural roadbed, and we have got nothing to do but help just a little, but over in the next town they have got miserable roads." Well, I went up there, and we went out on the nat ural roads he was going to show, and came to a gully that had been washed out; the road was impassable; turning around went another way and found that road fenced up; we could not get through there; then we turned and went back, drove across the line into the neighboring town, where they had such terrible roads, and there we found the only pleasure we had upon that occasion. But the agitation then begun went on in some of the larger communities; the people purchased road rollers and stone crushers, and went to work under the direction of skilled engineers. In several places, as the result and outgrowth of this agitation, metal roads have been laid down over which the people are driving. But we have gone further than that; the old law has been repealed by which a man was allowed to work out his taxes over against his own dooryard in his own way, and nothing good came of it. This poor way of building roads was abrogated by our law two years ago, and now all taxes are paid in money, and instead of there being a dozen or more roadmasters in the town we have one road commissioner who has charge of all the highways of a town, and this man has been going on doing the best he could under the circumstances. Naturally we have indifferent men in some places, but the best we can get in every place. The Good Roads League have done what they could in agitation. The State Board of Agriculture has provided addresses in many towns, and in every county throughout the State for two winters continuously one of its members has devoted his time to the delivery of addresses upon this subject. The highway commission, appointed by the executive for the benefit of highways in the State, has organized the different road commissioners of the different towns into conferences to learn how to make good roads, and that has been one of the most useful things I bave ever known, in connection with this agitation, taking place in any section. Take, for instance, Franklin County, the northwest corner county of the State. Thirty or more road commissioners are called together, and invited to bring with them a little bag full of gravel, or of sand, or of |