Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-25
FOR GOOD ROADS
WORK OF PERFEcTlNG oRGANI.
ZATioN STARTED.
SOCIETY WILL PUBLISH JOURNAL
Will Not Follow Political Lines or
Methods of Procedure-The Frater-
nal Feature of the Movement viii
be Given Attention.

Des Molnes, June 22.-The executive
committee of the State Good Roads as
ISOLATION has adopted the plan of pro-
cedure outlined by Secretary Lyons, of
| the organization. The committee is
composed of Merritt Greene of Mar
shalltoWn, Joseph S. Morgan of Du-
buque, e. E. Hart of Council Bluffs. II.
G. Harper of Burlington, Jas. G. Ber-
ryhill, Homer A. Miller and Mr.. Lyons
of Des Moines.
Secretary Lyons has received the
report of the committee on the plan
proposed at the recent conference held
In Des Moines and has started the
work of organizing the state on the
plan outlined by the committee.
One of the features of the work will
be the publication of journal of pre-
tentious size to be known as Good
Roads for Iowa." or Good Roads for
the West" The subscription price will
!be 81, and this with the membership
lee in the state association will re-
quire but 50 to make man an active
member. OF the 81 membership fee,
the plan contemplates that half shall
go to the state association and quar-
ter each to the county and local trea-
suries, it being the plan to have local
associations auxiliary to general
county association and this auxiliary
to the state organization.
The official plan of procedure as
agreed upon by the committee is as
| follows.
AS chief aim is to create public
interest and sentiment, and as repre-.
sentation cuts practically no figure,
the organization should not attempt to
| follow political lines or methods. EN-
phasis should be given constantly TO
! the cooperative features, the fraternal
/ spirit-much as a church or brother
hood extends its operations. Thus,
| just as many as possible of local clubs
should be encouraged-tow city or
nelghborhcod affairs eliminating
| from those all geographical lines.
Where farmers or townspec pie al
ready have some organization-liter
airy or Observation-Disclosures to make
our department thereof, with the I'M
| Outstanding that at each meeting good
roads shall be given place on the pro-
/ gram; occasionally, perhaps, constitute
ing the entire program.
"Semi-annually, or on call. let there
be a county convention and annually
or on call, state convention for
| conference and to help along the gen
eral cause. Leave it to each county or
/ locality to device plans that may re-
suit in friendly rivalry in actually
building roads and the evolvement of
| suggestion and methods applicable to
/ special local conditions. Let the col.
umns of Our journal, of course, be al
ways open for communications from
m embers.
Beginning with the second Tuesday
in September, and monthly thereafter
on the second Tuesday of each month
let every club hold its meetings There
will be enthusiasm in the thought that
every club in Iowa is in session stimuli
taneously. The monthly publication
| should be issued the first of each
month and should furnish ample and
| fresh subjects for discussion at these
meetings.
| Proposed legislation will be vital
subject for discussion in each issue
this fall, and at each local meeting. In
this way we can be well prepared to
enforce any demand for legislation
that may be deemed wise and neces-
sary.
We should have a prominent tent
at the state fair and do a great work
there in distributing literature fur
nished by the government, and in Sc
curing subscriptions to our own publ.
cation Similar work can be done at
county fairs.
| I'VE should also be given place
on the mid-winter program of the State
Fair association.
| I'VE should see to it that every farm
ers' institute held in Iowa should be
looked after and every commercial
club as WELL for good roads should in
terest not any class, but each citizen
of Iowa. Even the women's clubs
should be urged to have papers on the
subject In. short, endeavor to make
| Good Roads" the most talked about
subject before the public in Iowan and
| It must finally result in biuding
them"