St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-16

the most benefits from improved public
highways. "The more the people
know of good roads the more they will
want them" said Judge Wells. land il
we had them we would hear little more
of the mouopolistic eXactionS of rail-
roads"
Hon. A. B. Choate, president of the
good roads association of tile state, read
il paper on the rise and growth of the
movement for better roads. He adj
United that as far as the Minnesota Leg
islature was concerned, practically
nothing resulted from the first meeting
of the ASSOCIATION. But the proceed
ings of that convention had been print
ed in pamphlet form by the government
of the United States, and its diStrIbu-
ton had been fruitful along the line of
road education. Mr.. Choate pointed
out the defects of the present system. as
he views them, and also suggested re-
medal measures. His suggestions are
practically embodied III the resolutions.
Mr.. Snyder. of Ramsey. thought Mr.
Choate was i'll error i'll saying farmers
are not good road makers. He held 1t
is not the men who are wrong, but
the system.
Red-NOt Roast
of the lumber barons was INDUCED in
by A. l.. Cole, of Motley, who favored
q law allowing the people 10 tax them
selves for better highways. He alluded
in sarcastic terms TO the control Of the
legislature by the lumbermen OF the
state. He said that the people of Cass
county, unorganiZed and at the mercy
of tho lumbermen, are allowed to tax
| themselves only half cent m acre
for highway Improvement. lie grew
| emphatic in dennnciatlon of the per-
nicious activity of the lumber owners of
| Cass county III preventing the levying
Of taxes for the most urgent neceSSl-
ties of the people, such as poor fund,
road fund, and so forth.
Chairman Wells was compelled TO ad-
monish MIR. Cole to talk to the question
| aud avoid personalities. LII his earnest
ness the gentleman from CasS was be-
ginning to mention names and de-
| nounce the iumbermen bitterly.
L. Davis, of St. Louis county, favored
the cOuferrIng OF authority Oil county
| commissioners to have proper surveys
made for roads and have same built by
contract, the board to raise necessary
money by taxation.
Carl Hagen, of Mcleod county, gave
! it as his opinion that work on the roads
| is not done i'll anything like a proper
| digging of holes at the side Of road to
| fill holes in the center. He would have
| all roads graded and at least two rods
| wide, with a path for foot travellers,
| from which teams should be excluded.
| Mr.. Hagen considered all the money
| wasted that is spent for wooden bridges.
| He would have all bridges built Of
| stone. Governmental supervision of
| the main travelled roads is his remedy
| for present evils.
! spend VI ore Money.
Prof. HAYS expressed himself in favor
| of putting more money into roads, but
| would have closer supervision OF the eX-
! penditures. He considered the matter
| of wide tires worthy of more attention.
| Contract work in road making, he be-
iieved, would be all Improvement, and
he suggested also county road engineers
under state supervision. Trained road
| builders, working from definite plans,
would. in his opinion, eventually edu-
| cate the farmers to be compe tent road
makers. State aid, he held, should be
| literally extended to pay road engln-
| ears and advance educational work on
| the subject OF better roads.
Prof. Drew. of the state agricultural
| college, In his sensible talk, cited the
| fact that stone is being crushed at Lew
! lston, in Winona county, and shipped
| to Chicago to be used in macadamlZing
| roads i'll the suburbs of that city; and
| vet there are men in Win0na county
| who object to the use of crushed stone
| OH the local roads. The professor said
! that while he would not advocate the
| matchmaking of all roads in the state,
| he would use stone and gravel Wher-
! ever it could be done cheaply and
! handiIy in the building of roads. Prof.
| Drew said he would have wagons built
with wide tiers that would not track
each other; that is, the front wheels
would be set wider apart than the hind
wheels, or vice versa.
Hon. 4. e. Stickney's Paper
was an exceedingly practical and force
| full production. 1t advocated the be-
| StoWal of more care on the foundation
of the roads. He thought that the con-
| structiOn Of good roads, at proper cost,
was an even more important matter
! than the construction of good bu ldingS.
| One OF the most important points, in his
estimation, is the selection OF good en-
! gineer-"the man who can do with one
dollar what any damn fool can do with
two" Ditching and draining, to dis
pose of water, The persistent enemy or
good roads, ought 10 have careful and
vigtlant attention. He would prefer
| narrow roads and covered drains to
wide roads aud open bitches. do
little to your roads each year, but do
that little WE'LL" would be Mr.. Stick
ney'S advice TO the farmers OF Minne-
| sofa. He would favor the maintaining
| of all engineer corps, to be pal ID by the
| state and by the counties. with compe.
| tent engineer in charge Of the work of
/! the corps. The issuing of bonds by the
state for the building of roads Mr..
| SiickneY vehemently opposed; and he
| insists that the people stick to the rule
of local taxation for local improves
ments.
The paper was given close attention
throughout and met with frequent ap~
plause. AT its close vote OF thanks
| was rendered mir. Stickney.
Dr.. Roscoe n. jackson. of Farlbauit
favored the passage of a law to compel
communities to eXpend certain amount
each year for the Improvement of roads.
| Eleven thousand road overseerS in Min
nesota are expanding Sl,500,C00 each
| year, and this money is practically
wasted for lack of definite plans to be
carried out by competent road builders.
Frank Hart, Of Anoka, said he favored
| the issuance of longtime bonds by the
different counties for road improvement.
He would abolish the present Sy stem OF
| working out road tax.
j. Ii. Snyder, of Ramsey, would allow
| the present system 10 remain It'll the
people learn to eXpend economically
and we'll the money available at pres
ent. He would favor creation of the
Office of county overseer of roads, to be
life office, for the Inspection and keep
ing in repair OF all the roads in "a county.
A series Of resolutions were adopted ,
but not until they had run the gauntlet
of debate that was quite heated. and
participated in by Carl Hagen, G. b.
Smith, Peter DAILY, T. Eiwell, j. L. Lit
tie, A. b. Choate, c. L. Me Carron. Prof.