Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1904-02-18

extent lost. This is certainly so /
with work on the roads in our coun-
ty. The work Of one year is lost
the next. This being the fact,
what is the remedy? Can the com
missioners change this? Under
our present system, with the county
the present size, l would most EN-
phatically say no. 1t is probably
true that as the agricultural portion
Of the county develops, lands be-
come patented and taxable property
increases, something can be done.
Rock crushers can be procured and
instead Of throwing up little loose
earth in the centre of the road rock
can be crushed and the roads ma
cadamized. This of course will be
expensive; very few miles can bo
improved in any one year and those
communities which are not the
favored ones will certainly COM
plain because they are discrimi-
mated against Our commissioners
have done what they could under
the law and conditions at present.
They would be only too glad to do
more; instead of putting in our
time abusing the commissioners let
us perfect some plan by which
something can be done. Sugges-
tions have been made that bonds be
issued for road purposes. This can
only be done by a vote of the
people at a special election, two
thirds Of the people voting for the
issue In the first place special
election would have to be called for
the purpose; the election could not
be held at the time of the general
election; second, the way the money
derived from the sale of the bonds
was to be expended would have to
be designated. Each section of the
|, county would want the greater
portion expended in that section
or in a section that would benefit
, that section. Then a bond issue
! to be of any permanent value would
have to be of such magnitude that
there would not be the least possi-
bility of carrying it by atwo-thirds
majority. Under the conditions
1 believe the commissioners are
perfectly right in not calling. an
, election for that purpose. An ex'
penditure of from S25OOO to $4,000
, for road machinery foi use on Cam
as Prairie alone would be insult
!. fcient to procure the proper
! amount of machinery.
. Our legislatures in the past have
n been liberal enough in the way o.
! making appropriations for the pur
pose of building roads to our mount
. ain camps where the conditions
made it impossible for the counties
6 to construct the roads. Everyone
of these appropriations has justi
, fed itself many times over; our
| state is being developed through
just such acts as these road appro'
| priations and the future legislatures
can't mistake in following the pre-
i, cesdents of the past int his respect
; This being the case, should not thu
, legislature go further? should they
:, not take into consideration our ag
!, ricultural communities, which
. always have and always will beal
, the greater burden of taxation
. Let our legislature devise some
, system of laws, general in theil
scope and application, by which
state aid will be extended to sucf
, communities as are willing to pn
. their hands in their own pockets
, to help themselves. l venture
the assertion that with the state
@ giving aid to the communities thu
: farmers of Camas prairie will organ
ize and soon the rock crushers will
, be at work; soon larger loads will
. be hauled with less teams; fewe
y animals will do the work on th'
: farm; More of the grain will b.
: marketed or fed to hogs and cattle
r the farmers will have more none!
a and it will be easier to pay tn
' taxes; then they will with mucl
!, better grace pay their proportion
Of the money appropriated for th'
: on ilding of mountain roads.
Let us send to the Legislature
. men who will study the statutes o
9 the eastern states that have al
ready made some move IN this di
rectiou, instead of devoting al
; their time to politics and the chanc
of securing some Office when thei
, legislative duties are done. In
! stead Of blaming the powers tha
be, let us make conditions different
q Let us interest ourselves in the
National Good Roads association
movement. / hope to see the time
and in the not distant future, wheI
! the nation al. state and county gov
ernments will all cooperate togethe
, with individual owners of theprop
!. erty along which the highways ar
to be improved. Then we will
i have good roads. Then the Grim
inal waste in machinery, in extr
. teams. in the time lost, will end