The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-23
has two and one half miles of such

has two and one-haIf miles Of such
road.
The fault is easy to locate. and it
lies right at the doors of the commits
sioners who have the expenditure. of
this money. "A small portion of the
highways in such wretched condition
lies within the city limits, being the
connecting links between the i'm
proved streets and the point where the
city boundary ends Under the old rule.
where the road and bridge fund was
expended wholly outside the city, these
links in the Chain were neglected. since
the value of the-abutting property was
not sufficient to bear the necessary as
sessment. But now it is possible to
spend enough money from the fund
upon them to put and keep them in
good condition. And beyond the city
limits the policy that has been pursued
is inexcusab1e.
The vast amount of money paid by
the people for, road improvements has
been very largely wasted. 1t has not,
with the slight exceptions noted, been
spent according to any intelligent plan
or wrought any permanent good. Road
making. in these days is thing as
scientifically understood as bridge con-
struction or railroad building. But the
road funds are. disbursed in the bad
old way, for political purposes. Every
one knows that, to get good roads, you
must make them permanent letting
and responsible Is concerns. The law
contemplates this by requiring all
work costing more than 5000 to be
done by the contract system. 1t is
evaded. and the whole value of the ex-
penditure destroyed. by cutting UP the
! improvements into little parcels, each
calling for less than the amount stated.
and giving them out where they will
| do most geod-to the politicians Our
published list shows that of the $4,000
in round numbers expended this year,
CHCty AAefo NSShA PNH 49,
this fashion,
It is a. modest estimate to say that
Ramsey county might have today
twenty-five miles of as good roads as
there are in the world for the money
| that has been paid by the people for
| that purpose in less than ten years
past. Not only does it not have them,
| but it is not getting or likely to get
them.@s The work that is done on these
small jobs is of the old, worthless sort;
! patching up a road so that it is rough
in summer, a mudhole in winter, and
SO washed away during the next spring
pairsas eveB withoutFthe public's re-
ceiving the# slightest benefit for it's
cont ributioas. @sAnd all. this can be
changed freaas the moment that the
commissioners Use the fund at their
disposal fofreal road building. We
fancy that they will do it as soon as
they hear from the people. and that
theE.9w not -de4it~one moment be-
fore. asf4zs
All our people. every business inter-
est Of the city, is vitality concerned in
this mat tier. 1t means the gain or loss
of millions, ina trade every year. It
means much, : in the beauty and COM
fort of having, great permanent high
ways leading away from st. Paul in
/ all directions. The city is the heart
these roads the arteries; and the effect
commercially fof having them broken
/ or oBstructed is not unlike that upon
I the human body. We need an imme-
date reform in the conduct of road i'm
prevemeat and the distribution of the
road fund.- The beauty of 1t is that.
unlike most plans for municipal i'm
provement and commercial advantage,
it does not mean an increase of taxa
ton or the collection of one cent more
than is now paid.
All that it requires is the applica-
ton of an existing and permanent
fund to the purpose for which it was
designed, by intelligent methods and
honest hands, instead of having it
frittered away as it is now. There is
absolutely no other direction in which
our people can gain so much for them
selves without any sacrifice or burden;
by insisting that politics shall be sent
for time to the background, and pub
lie money used for the public purpose
by which its collection is justified