NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 745 
of the farmers, the question of good roads, as a means of improving the 
condition of the farmers, is of direct interest to all other classes of our 
people. 
"I assort without fear of contradiction that the establishment of a 
complete system of improved public highways is the most important eco- 
nomic issue now confronting the American people. The conservation of 
our forests and other natural resources; the improvement of our rivers 
and harbors; railway and trust regulation; all these sink into insignifi- 
cance in comparison with this question, in so far as it relates to the per- 
manent welfare ajid i)rosperity of the nation. Careful estimates of the 
loss in time, labor, and actual expenditure for marketing the country's 
enormous volume of farm products show that bad roads impose an an- 
nual burden of at least $125,000,000, the difference between the cost 
of hauling these products over the dirt roads, which constitute 93 per 
cent of our total road mileage, and the cost of hauling the same quan- 
tity over improved roads. This loss falls heaviest on the farmers, whose 
productive capacity is decreased because of the greater portion of their 
time that is spent in conveying their crops to market, but it also imposes 
the burden of higher prices on the consuming public generally. Manu- 
facturing and business interests are affected through the fact that under 
present conditions the farmers produce less, and therefore consume less 
manufactured goods, than they would under more favorable conditions. 
"It is a truism that the prosperity of the whole country depends on 
the condition of our agricultural interests, yet this simple statement of 
fact is practically ignored in all discussions of how to restore and main 
tain prosperity. The dependence of our whole complicated system of 
manufacturing, transportation, and trade on the farmers of the country 
has been clearly illustrated during the past year, when Wall street, oui] 
great railway systems, and to a large extent our manufacturing and 
business interests generally, have been anxiously following the crop re- 
ports, in order to assure themselves of a mo*re favorable outlook and the 
coming of another period of manufacturing, transportation, and busi- 
ness activity. But when it comes to appropriating money by Congress, 
how do we find the great basic agricultural industry treated? The sta- 
tistics of the expenditures of the national government during a period 
of ten years ending with 1906 show that out of appropriations of 
$6,309,742,632, collected, it must be remembered, by taxes paid in large 
part by the farmers of the country, only $47,000,817 was devoted to 
furthering the interests of agriculture; that is, three-quarters of 1 per 
cent of the total appropriations for the department of our national 
government that is concerned with the advancement and welfare of the 
most important interest of the country. 
"Much attention has recently teen given to the appointment of a na- 
tional commission to study the needs and condition of the farmers, with 
a view to aiding in making farm life more attractive and desirable. The 
commission will doubtless receive many suggestions, but I am confident 
that when the real sentiment of the farmers of every section of the 
country, as to the reform which would confer the greatest benefit upon 
them, is expressed, it will be, "Give us good roads." 
"It is because of their earnest conviction that the improvement of our 
highways would be the most effective agency in promoting not only their 
