The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-11-22
The WEISER SIGNAL.
THURSDAY. NOVEMBER %, 1894.
STATE WAGON ROAD,


state wagon road through central
Idaho, there WAS much bitter com
mcnt and sentiment against the prop
osition created in the state, and by
the abortiye manner in which the
state road has been handled it Will
probably turn out that the kick was
justifiable, but we do not believe it
would have been had the project been
conducted on the high plane to be
expected from q great and magnifi-
cent states. At the time of the pas
sage of the bill the SIGNAL defended
it in the honest belief that it was n
great ami proper act for young Idaho
to do, and we have had no reason to
change our opinion as to the intended
object itself, but the manner in which
the aims OF the law have been shat
tered and the benefits defeated by
rotten handling makes our heart sick.
We stood up for the road bill be-
cause tax for internal Improvement
should always be borne cheerfully ::
because tax for any needed road to
develop isolated country should al
ways be paid without q murmur
We defended the bill because we had
In our minds eye these facts: In the
interior of our state was n vast iso-
lated territory of unknown mineral
richness that called in mum berless
voices for Development Its devel-
opment would build up the greatness
OF our state. 1t needed good wagon
road The people needed it as a
means Of facilitating intercourse be-
tween different sections of the state
There were hundreds Of good citizens
in Idaho who needed work. BY con
structing this thoroughfare the state
would be doing grand thing. Money
would be taken from the people by
taxation to develop the state S interior
resources through medium which
would supply labor to hundreds Of
needy persons in the state, who would
earn the money right back again
Thus we would have a great work
accomplished to our lasting benefit,
and the money would have all gone
back among the people from whence
it came. That was what we thought
we saw in the state wagon road,
but disappointment has crowned that
hope We will get sort Of road.
1t is true, perhaps nearly as good as
was possible with that amount of
money expended in section Of such
rough character, but its construction
has not given the people of Idaho the
benefit of the money expenditure
We are even inclined to believe that
the worth Of the money IN road has
not been secured, to judge from the
sundry complaints that reach our ear
from different points The work was
inaugurated by letting the construc-
ton work to contractors from Mon
tana, Spokane and other places. The
contractors Immediately put a horde
OF Italian laborers to doing the work,
and now we notice in the Statesman
that on account of the failure to re-
ceive their wages there is danger of
much trouble and possibly bloodshed
The dagoes have armed and are
threatening murder. They have felled
trees and blockaded the road and
threaten to burn down large bridge
on the road across St Maries river.
Uuless they cool Off the people will
be put to great expense to suppress
them. Isn't all this soothing con
temptation for overstrung nerves?
A tax that is hard to bear Is acceeded
to under the belief that needy people
will be able to earn it back among
the people and that ultimate good to
the state will result from the use OF
the money, but we awaken to the
fact that we have only been taxed for
the benefit of people outside of the
state and a band of dagoes. We
have simply piece of unsatisfactory
road for our money-the perquisites
of its building have not been ours
We have not received one third of the
benefits it seemed to promise. Some
body in our state administration has
got to shoulder powerful sight of
wrong against the people of Idaho.
The tiger was skinned sure enough.