Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-08

/
Still the medicine men kept their news
paper tom toms beating until the young
warriors again prepared for battle but
the wise heads have prevailed. Some
| think that the voice of the great white
father has been heard and instead OF
| the war cry of many braves the voice
| of the Venerable Allison, he Of many
peace pipes, will be raised at Des
Moines. There will be no fighting
among our people. but will the tom
toms ever cease.
GOOD ROADS AND RURAL ROUTES.
a communication from Mr.. Will III.
Wilson appears in another column. Mr..
Wilson takes strenuous exception to
the advice given in the Times Repub-
lican recently to the effect that those
receiving rural mail delivery service
should as a matter of protection to
themselves as well as public duty see
to the making and mending of high
ways.
Mr.. Wilson's sincerity is evident. 1t
lis his understanding that is at fault.
He has simply failed to inform himself
thoroughly. There is no threat con-
veyed in the ,iiscontinuance of rural
service over impossible reads, but SIM
ply the enforcement of an agreement
Inauguration of rural serv zee everywhere
has been and is conditional. Petition
ers for rural service agree over their
signatures 10 kesp the roads passable
at all seasons of the year and to COM
ply with all regulations of the service.
Failure to keep their contract abro-
gates 1t and may result in loss of the
service at the pleasure Of the govern
ment. One of the regulations provides
for a mail box approved by the post
master general. Failure to comply with
the latter regulation MY result in the
discontinuance of the service to the
Individual. general noncompliance
with the provisions agreed upon may
result in complete loss OF the mall
route to its beneficiaries.
1t is not likely that the sentiments
expressed in the communication re-
ferred to are held by ary respectable,
number of farmers. To make and
mend roads" sufficiently TO render them
of ~ u
comes under the agreement to that ef-
feet an act of simple honesty and will
be met with action instead of contempt
by the generality of farmers. The av-
erage farmer desires the rural service
and readily admits the justice of it's
requirements. I4e, recognizes his re-
sponsibility as contracting party and
is ready and willing to do his part to
retain the service he flnds so valuable
and pleasing.
The government is rot asking too
much when 1t makes respectable high
ways requisite to rura; mail delivery.
/: is not to he understood that this
means macadam or ever gravel as
Iowa dirt is the only FEAST
BILE and generally distributed road MAJ
terial in the state. Our roads must be
made from its black alluviun. 1t must
be built into grades and the roadsides
day in the year may be and are thus
made in Iowa. Drainage and a decent
road is all the departm= is now ask
ing. There is no thought of boulevards,
but there is just demand for improves
ments The official regulations govern
ing special agents of the rural free de-
livery service provide that where rural
routes have been established over de-
fective roads i. must be understood that
these conditions must be promptly rem
edied or the route will be discontinued
and the service given to a more appre-
ciative community. TIE opportunities
for road making and mending will be
taken into considerati ton in Iowa by the
special agents, but activity among rural
route patrons in repairing the damage
of the past year and upholding their
end of an honest agreement is but just
and necessary. That this will ensue will
not be doubted by those who have OBJ
served the appreciation shown the rural
mail delivery by the agricuturalists.
There will be an effective effort toward
better roads this season, not on account
of any imagined threats to discon-
tinue mail routes, but thru the desire OF
the farmer to carry GU. his portion of
an honest agreement with the postoff1ce
department.
IOWA OPINIONS AND NOTES.
"The charge that Senator A. B. Funk.
of Spirit Lake, is a free trader is
enough to make horse laugh" says
the Scranton Journal.
UrIou, MANY little 1nisun 5ersfandiOps