Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-15

himself the full responsibility for the
naming of these delegates and he calico
this convention. 1t will not only con-
slider good roads, but will name the del
egates to St. Louis and perhaps ap.
point committees to take action toware
bringing matters to the attention ol
the legislature. b
The meeting today was called to or
der by D. B. Lyons, president of tbs
Commercial Exchange of Des Moine es
and remarks were made by Governor
Cummins and by Mayor Brenton am
others. There was also a statement as
to the purposes of the convention al
st. Louis by w. n. Moore, OF the Ma
tional Good Roads Association. The
aprineipal address of the day. in which
? .sas outlined the work Of the depart
ment of agriculture and of the isso-
Citations. was by r. w. Richardson. OF
Nebraska, secretary of the National
Good Roads Association, and represent
ative of the office of good roads inquiry
Of the department of agriculture.
"The subject of roads" said Mr.
Richardson, sis old and somewhat
hackneyed. But the association OF
which am member, and acting with
it the good roads department of the
agricultural department. at Washing
ton, are engaged in a crusade to arouse
interest In the subject in every part OF
the union. What we want is to get the
people, and particularly the business
men, to see that good roads is some-
thing that concerns all the people, not
one class, but all classes, and the well
fare of the whole community is bound
up in the question. Then we want to
get united action to supply the means
for building good roads and desire
that they shall be built under intelli-
gent and honest supervision. Once the
movement is fairly started and 1t will
go on to great success. What we now
desire is the adoption of the state aid
and cooperative plan for road build
ing. This means a general system of
road building under direct state super
vision. The old plan. one which has
been followed with great waste and to
little profit many years, Is to leave 1T
for the communities separately to do
all the road building. This is based on
the theory that the only persons bene-
flied are the farmers who own land
along the highways. But in fact, as we
contend, everybody is interested. There
is no Improvement in which all the
people are SO vitality interested The
litigants make use of the court house,
the children use the school house and
the church members use the churches;
but everybody uses roads. We are try
ing to demonstrate that it is to the in
sterest of all the people, the business
men and the residents of the cities and
towns as well as to the interests CT
those in the rural districts to have good
roads.
This state aid plan is in force in a
number of states and is not an ex-
pertinent at all. The state makes a di-
rect appropriation for the road build
ing and there is a state engineer or
highway commission or other desig-
mated body which supervises the work.
The cost is apportioned usually half
or third to the state, and generally
about Is per cent to the owners of abut-
ting property and 35 per cent to the
county. New York state pays half of
the expense of these roads. The sys-
tenn has been in use in that state about
Massachusetts where they have a SINH
lar system they are getting splendid
results in all parts of the state. 1t is
being used in Connecticut, New Jersey
and has just been adopted in New
Hampshire. / have just attended the
state convention at Dallas, Texas,
where there were perhaps $50 dele
gates. A state organization was eff
fected to work for good roads.
month before attended the convention
for the state of Arkansas, and as the
direct result of that convention there
has been introduced into the legislature
of that state a bill to create state
board of highway commissioners and
firmly establish the system. 1t has a
good prospect of passage. We have
held meetings in number of states and
we anticipate great good to come from
the st. Louis national convention.
"There need be no fear, where there
is intelligent state supervision. that