The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-03-20
cured by Hon. Gilbert Gutterson
should be adopted by this county.

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explain the new law, which was done
by Mr.. Cray, who said that districts
and overseers could be abolished, and
an overSeer could be elected for all
the roads of a township. Now the
control is almost entirely under the
supervision of the town supervisors,
and the road masters are mere fore
men of the work. Under the new
law, the new overSeer would be fore
man of all the work in the township.
A more intelligent man might be Sc
cured, if properly chosen. He also
thought that the poll tax system was
abolished, the money to be paid in
cash instead of worked out. The peo-
pie can vote to adopt the law.
Mr. Smith, of jamestown, thought
that the farmers Of his section
would prefer to work out their
tax. They had not complained of
roads, and the poorest teams in the
town could haul so to 60 bushels of
wheat to Mankato. The farmers
would come in to cut down the sal
aries of the so-called public servants
one third. Did the farmers petition
congress to demOnitize silver, did they
petition for this convention, did they
petition the legislature to have seven
game wardens appointed, and Christie
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den?
The chair called Mr. Smith to or
der, and he begged the pardon of
the convention if he was tout of
range. y He said that, like
| Artemus Ward, be was not posted
on the dead languages, and ignorant
of the living ones, and he would sit
down, which he did amid applause
The following committee on reso-
lutions was chosen: Geo. M. Palmer,
chairman; j. E. Drew, Sterling; ]. E.
Brown, Mapleton; VIM. M. Smith,
jamestown; Geo. w. Allyn, Madison
Lake; Chas. Marston, Rapidan; Mr..
Mcnamara, LeRay; Mr. Sellers, Beau
ford; Geo. W. Haigh, Mankato; I'll.
Heinzeman, Lime; Mr.. Bryson, Lyra !;
r.Look, Shelby; .Fayette Wilder, De-
coria; o. T. Severson, Medo; VIM.
Young, South Bend; August Gems,
Ceresco; A. NJ. Hannay, Vernon.
An adjournment was taken until
Up. m.
HOT TIME.
| After dinner Messrs Choate and Baker
gave addresses, synopses of which appears
elsewhere in this isue
The convention got into bad wrangle
late in the afternoon. the old feeling of the
country against the city cropping out, al
though the farmers were in the majority
and the committees.
The Subcommittee on resolutions pre-
sented the following report:
Resolved-That we are gratifed and
pleased with the general movement
throughout the country and among all
classes in favor of good roads and improved
methods of road building, and we favor
any measures leading to this result.
Resolved-That we believe it for the
best interests of all concerned that the
present system of working out the poll tax
and general road tax is pernicious and not
calculated to secure the best results, and
that we recommend the adoption of the
so-called Gutterson law.
Resolved-That we favor the appoint
ment of a permanent committee of repre-
sentative men from every part OF the
county to call future conventions or rec
ommend such organization and action as
they deem wise.
A motion by Mr.. Allyn to consider the
resolutions in the convention instead of
the entire committee was lost.
On the suggestion of Gen. Baker the
resolutions were divided, and on his mo-
ton the first was adopted by a rather
small majority.
Lysander Cook called for the reading of
the Gutterson law. M. B. Haynes ex-
planned the law as he understood it, that
it does away with the road districts, and
places the road work in the hands OF the
supervisors. Gen. Baker thought that the
law left it with the people to decide wheth-
er to raise the money or do the work, or to
abolish the district system.
D. C. Evans and several others favored
the present system, while others did not.
A motion to lay the second resolution on
the table was made. F. M. Currier said
that the farmers want good roads, but
don't want to pay rout any more money,
and he believed that with another system
good roads could be secured at no greater
cost If labor could be transferred from
one district to another in township. such
plan should be adopted.
A delegate from Beaufort said that in
his town the vote was unanimous against
the adoption of the new system.
The second resolution was laid on the
table by considerable majority.
The third resolution was taken up and