CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 109 



bought this place for $300, and mortgaged the place back. A half 

 mile from me a similar tract sold for $4,000 ten years ago, and sold 

 at that price because the buyers were willing to mortgage it back 

 for the whole amount. Within one year that tract that sold for 

 $4,000 has sold for $20,000. They gave the buildings away, and 

 have started to improve it. I feel a little nervous in talking of 

 apples because I come from a strong prohibition town, but apples 

 did not do that. 



We have taken advantage of every appropriation to build roads. 

 I went to Hartford. My good friend the Governor-elect, a man I 

 had known for thirty years, was our Congressman at large. I told 

 him my ambition was to be House chairman of the committee on 

 roads, bridges and rivers, and I wanted him to help me. I said, 

 " I am not going to anybody else, but I want your help." He 

 said, " That is quite a position for a man from your town, and 

 a new man, but I will do what I can." That means a lot when 

 a man does what he can. Some of the politicians asked me what 

 I was going to pick out. I told them I wanted roads, bridges and 

 rivers. They said that was one of the worst ones up there. I got 

 it. Many came to me and said, " We helped you a great deal. We 

 had to work like everything to drive them off." It seems nobody 

 else would have it. I introduced a little bill which says the State 

 of Connecticut shall build trunk lines which shall be in the hands 

 absolutely of the Highway Commission. At the bottom of it it 

 says that the State of Connecticut would spend a million dollars 

 a year. That was a joke up there. I want to tell you what it means 

 for the State of Connecticut to issue bonds. There has not been 

 a bond issued but war bonds, and there are only $250,000 of these 

 left. There is a million dollars in the treasury to pay these bonds. 

 They are bought wherever they can be. " Issue bonds, — not on 

 your life." Well, it drifted along that way. I kept at work, and 

 in our General Assembly we had an association of farmers. They 

 may have bucolic minds, — I do not know. I said, " Gentlemen, 

 it is up to us now, — we are here. These politicians get what they 

 want, and we do not get anything. It is up to us. We have got 

 the votes." They did not know me, and I did not know many of 

 them. Finally they concluded I was right. 



[At this point Mr. AUerton's time expired.] 



Governor Guild. In Connecticut the maximum speed limit 

 which must not be exceeded on any road and under any conditions 

 is 25 miles an hour. The automobile is treated like any other vehi- 

 cle inside this limit. If it is driven recklessly, the driver is treated 



