Warren sheaf., 1898-04-14
WORKING ROAD TAXES.
An Iowa Farmer Calls the System
Now In General Vogue a Gil
gantic Cancer.

At the Farmers institute which re-
Gently met in Marshalltown, Ia, pa
per was read by j. 81. Jayne, on Good
Roads," Touching on the results of
working out road taxes, he said:
II believe the most important funds
in the country are the school and road
funds, because the schools and roads
are the most extensive and cost the
most money. But what vast difference
in the management of these two affairs.
"Your schools are second to none in
the country, while your roads are be-
low the average. Suppose you levied a
threemill school fund in every town
ship, one mill to be paid in cash and
two mills to be worked out, and you
compelled every taxpayer in the dis
trict to teach the school in his turn
until his school tax was worked out,
and supply no other teachers. After a
lapse of IS years you would find your
schoolhouses delapidated, plastering
off, stoves down, seats and windows
broken, etc. Do you think your schools
would be up to the standard and your
children properly educated? Your
roads are in like condition to-day, be-
ing worked by men who do not follow
it as business, and furthermore have
no time outside Of other duties to at
tend to it.
'Now, the principal point wish to
bring before you is money for road pur-
poses. I do not mean by this that we
need more money, that the county
should be bonded, or heavy county
road-fund levy made, but that the
money now raised every year for road
differently. The bulk of that money
can be derived from that mirror, as it
were-that shadow which skips here
and there over the county roads every
summer and cuts off the grass and
makes the roads look level and smooth
Tin places)-the district road super
visor and his grader.
Nov, do you think it pays for John
Smith to be road supervisor this year
and grade up the road-fill up the hol-
lows and round them up nicely in the
center-and next year put in William
Jones, and allow him to plow the roads
clear across for miles and harrow them
down flat, and the next year put in an
other man who will round them up
again; one undoing the others work
year after year?
do you think it pays for the road su-
pervisor in No. to go over in No. 4 and
spend day dragging grader over to
his district? Do you think it pays to
have him put on John Smiths team to-
day, Bill Browns team tomorrow, Tom
Clark's team the next day, and have
them go gehawing here and there, and
make your road look like worm fence
when finished? Who is to blame? The
horses? No; they were never on
grader before, and are not accustomed
to climbing up banks and going down
into bitches. The drivers to blame?
No; they did the best they could with
green horse. The supervisor to blame?
No; he held the blade where the ma
chine was driven. Where, then, is the
blame? 1t is in your system.
do you think it pays to compel the
poor road supervisor to try to fill up a
hole, or round up road, or cut down
hill with slip scraper when he could
carry it almost in a dishpan? Do you
think it pays him to work without
tools? Does it pay him to buy six or
eight pieces of tile, and pay four prices
for them, when Marshall county could
buy carload at the lowest rates and
give. him the benefit? Does it pay for
him to buy lumber for culverts under
the same circumstances? Who is to
blame? The road supervisor? No; it
is your system. X X I regard this
road system as huge cancer, continual
ly eating, and the money you have ap-
piled, as prescri bed by some physicians,
and according to directions, has ap-
parently been of very little benefit to
the patient"
STRONG FEED TROUGH