Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-23
GOOD ROADS PROBLEM.
Considered by Interested Iowa
Congressman as a Most I'M
portant Problem
GROSS NEGLECT in THIS MATTER
This consressman's Earnest Desires for
Improvement Seem Likely to Be Met
Thru the Plans and Efforts of sena-
tor AIIison's Able Secretary, Mr.. A.
F. Dawson. :
Special to Times-Republicap.
e. Dawson,

Special to Times-Republicap.
Washington, Jan. 22-An Iowa con-
gresham. who is vitality interested in
n agricultural interests of the state,
recently said that the most important
problem before the people of that com
monwealth is thai OF good roads. He
said: For fully half a century this
great subject has been before the pub
lie demanding attention ans yet during
all that lapse of time fo. many months
each year the roads have been practi-
oally unfit for use. for the reason that
little use could BE- made of them beyond
the drawing of ar empty wagon, or un-
der worse conditions-not uncommon
a lunging. plunging horseback trip. Eis-
CANT business blocks ornament the
towns and villages: expensive court
houses and school houses have been
constructed at public expense to meet
the demands of commerce, education
and the proper enfor. cment of law, but
little or nothing has been done, in a
general way, to better the highways
which. as stated before, is the, most inn
portant proposition on the economic
list. Good roads mean everything to
the farmer in the matter of best facfli-
ties for disposing of the products of his
farm. With mud half hub desp to wal
low thru, going to market Is ever and
Always to be dreaded; on the other
hand, with good. solid roads, the truck :
ing of farm stuff is a pleasure, because
It is a restful change from the ordi-
nary home demands. h sending of the
children to school, the morning call OH
YOUR neighbor in the next half section,
the going to church or to caucus, all
these .syery-day calls become veritable
bugbears in the face of water-soaked
loan roads, The corgressman.s con-
tention is finding and will continue to
find a responsive echo OF approval lhs
state oy.sr, and in a practical sense, ms
well-expressed desires are likely to pc
met thru the plans and efforts OIL an
Iowa man in this city. Mr.. A. r. Daw-
son, the level-hsadeG private secretary
of Senator Allison. He is an lowan
born and bred in the state, ana hehcel
alive to the above stated cohdi-
tons. This is his schsme, with a pre-
explanatory Introduction: It VIII Dc
remembered that the last leglslaturel
amended the road laws. taking their
management out of the lands OF suFer-
visors and placing Il in the hands OF
the township trustees, three IN NUM-
her. with cash in hand to carry on ths
work instead of a given numDer oIoass
work by the voters of the road aistric..
It occurred to Mr.. Dawson that the
more thoroughly informed these trus-
tees were. the more
would they enter upon dis-
charge OF their duties 1or lhe
renairinr and the bettermef1t o.
the highways. So ne applied, Wisely,
To Secretary of A~griculturs' Wilson, ASK
ING himself if his department could iur-
ish practical literature on the suDJeet
of road making that would apply ~
,,ra irie soil conditions, Information. ~
fact. that would be a reliable guiae
n these trustees in the improving OF
the roads. He outlined his plan Tor
nrttinp this literature into the proper
hands Said he had written to he
auditor of state and secured names
OF the county auditors-nlnety-I iiie
in number; then he q written eacn
auditor for the names of the oWnshlp
trustees in their respective couh.ies'
more thar 5000 in all, n that haVlhs
possession of all these names ne was
to commence the distribution OF
the literature, which Mr.. Wilson SAID
he should be more than pleased 70
furnish him. Hence, as the outgroWtn
Of this comprehensive purpose OF MI.
there has been sent, or 0
will be, to every township trustee IN
he best information on the sub
iect OF road-making which the DEPART
bent OF agriculture has been abe 70
secure, and 1t goes without saying
that with such a fund OF wise expert
ence and minute details in their posi-
session. the new authority on roads
vim enter upon a practical planning
for ali-the-year-round good highways.
Where rock and gravel is at hand or
easily accessible, 1t is thought nothing
better a be used, and n sections
that can not be obtained save
at too great cost, the result must De
secured thru an application OF the not1
well understood law of drainage. Mr..
takes the common sense po-
sition. which in the past 1t would seem
that really sensible men had over
looked. that the water must be got
rid OF, in some way, before even a hope
d solid highway may be INDUCED
In. The time-honored % plan of pill
a lot of black, porous soil over
a sloughy piece of O is folly inten-
but when the water is gone the
slough disappears and then the work
is easy and satisfactory. Referring
10 the Iowa congressman again, he also
II have in mind a county in Iowa
naturally so wet that in the early days
the staple crop was muskrats, and
where 1t was f~acetiously claimed that
residents of three years standing be-
web-footed, yet in that county
best continuous good roads in the
are now found. There was no
.urrah over the change that added
$40 per acre to the value OF every abut-
ting farm-simply the appropriation
OF liberal beds of good gravel and an
employment OF money. men n teams
10 do the work. The c~ounty-seat joined
in furthering the enterprise,
the volume of its trade as a
result. There are five main
leading out OF the town which
s9Ef. ,M-.1 z-l ErpoNOth 20, ~ l,o,,,o