Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-30
Presentsystem With Its Advan-
tages Should Bring About
Improvement
CALL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION
Des Moines Has Been Selected as the
Place of the Meeting to Be Held
Next Month-Lack of Interest Of the
Farmers in Improving the Bad Con-
dition of Iowa Roads.
Special to Times Republican.


New Sharon. March s0.-There has
been called good roads convention to
meet in Des Moines next month, but
| from the present outlook the largest
per cent of delegates will be the agents
of machine manufactures. The aver
age farmer cares very little about the
roads, not enough to attend a conven-
ton where men who live in the cities
will do most of the talking There is
more truth than poetry in the fact that
the greatest agitation for good roads
comes from the man who uses them for
pleasure.
The most beautiful part about the
new road law is that J.. fixes the re-
sponsibility of the condition of the roads
on the trustees. The beard of trustees
for each township must look after his
own territory, and the road superin-
tendent is responsible tc the trustee
and the result now will be that if
bridge is out or bad place in the
roads needs fixing, it is not necessary to
wait upon the board OF supervisors to
meet and ask it.
The clerk of the township collects the
money and pays 1t out upon order of
the trustees or road superintendent, SO
that immediate action can be taken.
That there shall be plenty of money
to begin operations with, all money now
held in the various funds by the county
treasurer, which pertains to roads, must
be turned into one general fund and
handed over to the township clerks.
The poll tax is the only tax that the
farmer can now work, and this must be
done under the direction of the super
intendent. So If 1t is possible to have
good roads the present system should
bring 1t about.
The following is a clipping from
weekly journal on drainage:
1T should occur to men of even ordi-
nary intelligence that so long as we
construct roads of CLAY or earth, bor-
rowed from side pits, we will have clay
or earth roads that will be muddy in
wet weather. But there are a few pri-
mary principles regarding the CONSTRUCT
ton and maintenance Of such roads
that would, if conforrned to, do much
towards lettering their condition. The
first and cheapest of these is drainage
be good thru protracted spells of heavy
rainfall. Iowa roads are generally,
most admirably situated to make the
question of drainage very simple one;
two lines of tile drain, one on either
side of the driveway, with proper out
lets, will at once do away with the
quagmires that now make traffic al
most impossible. The roadway should
be raised above the adjacent surface
and kept planed off by grader"
His statement in regard to drainage
is all right, but the trouble comes with
the fact that the law Goes not allow
men or countries to lay tile thru the
of others without their con-
sent. Take, for instance. places where
the worst roads exist are usually on a |
low level piece of ground where the
grade has been raised AMI water stands
on both sides nearly to the top. There
is no natural fall to get the water
away. Thing is necessary, and to go |
across some ones land is unlawful. The
law could be changed so as to en-
power township trustees to lay tile if /
necessary thru the farms. They should
also have power to buy and If neces-
sary condemn gravel beds, so as to be
able to put good top on good road.
you find good corn country
you will find mud. Mud we must have.
but give us as little as possible.
GEORGE e. THAYER.