396 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



The farmer is already taxed equally with other people, if not more 

 heavily, and he ought not to be expected to bear the entire expense of 

 building country roads. We would like to see a system adopted, some- 

 what, at least, similar to that adopted for the support of common schools, 

 by which we could distribute the burden of taxation. 



Thank the Lord, we are out of debt — we owe nobody anything but 

 our own children — our school fund. 



I would put the proposition in this way — tliat we will be able, in the 

 near future, to do one of two things — either reduce the State taxes 

 again, or apply one million dollars a year to the building of country 

 roads, and I believe when the alternative comes, the people themselves 

 will favor the latter. Put one million dollars a year out of the State treas- 

 ury in the counties to help the plan of co-operation between the State, the 

 county and the township, and it will not be long before we can build 

 good roads in every county in the State. 



I also believe that the National government ought to help in the pro- 

 position, too. W'e are building roads in the Philippines, and even in Cuba 

 and Porto Rico. I want to say that I believe that if the National gov- 

 ernment would spend one-half the money, distributing it among the peo- 

 ple, on this co-operative plan for the purpose of assisting in the building 

 of roads, that they are now spending in enterprises thousands of miles 

 away from home, not only our own State, but the whole country, would 

 reap a benefit never known before in the history of the country. Last win- 

 ter during my last term in Congress I tried to introduce a bill making an 

 appropriation of eight million dollars for country roads. Of course, they 

 would not pass it, said it was not ijermain. 



This is not a political question. I believe the first bill for an 

 appropriation for roads that was introduced into Congress three years 

 ago was introduced by a Republican, and the next by a Democrat; both 

 parties are divided on the subject. I would like to see every Missouri 

 farmer put the proposition up to his Congressman, whether Republican 

 or Democrat, and ask him how he is going to vote on that proposition. 



I guess I have taken up enough of your time. I always like to talk 

 about Missouri. I could say much more, but this is enough, and I thank 

 you for the kind attention you have given me. 



