The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-12-22
Good Roads Association Fav0rs
Prison Labor Plan.
TAKE ACTION AT THE MEETING
Mady Suggestions Made for the Bet
terment Of Minnesota's Highways;
Officers Are Elected.


capitol yesterday, expressed its senti-
ments in number of resolutions bear
ing on different phases of the subject of
roads. The committee on resolutions
consisted of Gustave Scholle, chairman;
J. T. Elwall and Charles Cooper.
Road Laws and Necessary Legisla
ton" was discussed in the afternoon.
Mr.. Scholle deprecated the custom of
letting the farmer ''work out his taxes"
on the roads, which, he said always
results in unsatisfactory highways. The
methods are Anticipated and unscientifc,
even when the work is conscientiously
performed. No state aid should be Civ
en- except with the understanding that
the money is to be expended under the
supervision of competent supervisor.
The following resolution was adopt
ed:
"Resolved, That all work done on re-
pairing and building town and county
roads be under the immediate supervi-
sion of the county surveyor, and that
the office of town overseer be abolished"
The following resolution, presented by
Robert Hall, j. F. Spencer and A. w.
Baatz, was adopted:
Resolved, That all bridges on county
roads twenty -four feet or more in length
should be built and paid for by the
county,"
G. A. Will, president of the Hennepin
County Good Roads association, was of
the opinion that the proposed amend
ment to Section Is, Article of the
state constitution, known as the good
roads amendment" to be submitted to
the people at the next state election,
would in effect abolish the state highway
commission. He declared that some of
the men who had interested themselves
in the proposed amendment had an ak
to grind. Mr.. Wills reading of the law,
establishing the state highway commits
sion as affected by the proposed amend
ment, was not accepted by all the dele
ment on the ground that the. legislature
would be empowered to levy a tax of
one fourth of mill on all the taxable
property within the state for the benefit
of roads and bridges, as against SINH
lar tax of only one twentieth of mill,
provided for in the act of 1905 creating
the state highway commission.
Mr.. Cooley of Minneapolis, president
of the association, said that the ques-
tion had been referred to the attorney
general and that an opinion might be
expected soon. The sense of the meet
ing was that the public should be ad-
vised of the effect the proposed amend
ment would have on the commission.
Pending the rendering of an opinion
by the attorney general, the convention
deemed it wise to adopt the following
resolution:
Resolved, That if, in the opinion of
the attorney general, the proposed
amendment to the constitution, to be
submitted to the people at the next
election, known as the good roads
amendment, Article 9, Section l6, be
such as to do away with the state high
way commission we would condemn it
i'm unmeasured terms"
j. T. Elwall of Hennepin county adj
vocated the employment of state con-
Wet labor in the interest of good roads
"The legislature" he said, SHOULD be
asked to build number of stockades
Eat suitable points and equip the pris-
oners with modern rock crushing machin-
cry. There is plenty of trap rock near
Saltwater and at other points in the
state, which could be worked up by the
prisoners and loaded on cars to be dis
tributed through the state. This ma
terial could be hauled on sleds by the
farmers in winter and applied to the
roads,"
Mr. Edwall submitted the following
resolution, which was adopted:
"Resolved, b. the Minnesota Good
Roads association, That we favor hav
ing portion of our state prison labor
used for the building of good roads, and
to this end we recommend that the leg
islature be asked to build stockades that
will hold from fifty to one hundred pris-
oners at points within the state, where
an abundance of trap rock or other suit
able rock is found, and that they be
provided with modern machinery for
crushing rock, to the end that this rock
may be loaded on board cars free, for
the use of all the counties in the state
which desire it, by paying freight on the
same'
The following resolution was unani
mously adopted without debate:
Resolved, That we favor the pas
sage by the congress of the Brownlow
bill, or some similar measure, contem-
plating national aid to the states for