Rock Island Argus., 1905-03-25
DO NOT FIGHT IT
Little Opposition to Good Roads
Legislation at Yester-
days Meeting.
BETTER UNDERSTANDING HAD
OF Conditions Under Which Improve
ments Can Be Secured With
Aid of the State.

Opposition 10 the building of hard
roads through state aid, said TO have
been so pronounced among the farm
ers of Rock Island county, did not crop
out with the force that it was antici-
pated that il would at the meeting
held at the court house yeserday af-
ternoon, and at which resolutions were
passed concuTring in the plan outlined
in the inaugural message of Gov. Den
cen.
The speakers frequently were ques
toned by those in the audience OF
200. many having come from the.
country 10 attend. the board of sup
ervisoTs having also convened in spe
cial session 10 receive the subcom
mittee Of the committee on hard roads
% the Illinois Legislature. Apparently
the intent of the law proposed was
generally misunderstood. the opposi
ton to its enactment having develop
ed chiefly through the belief that there
was to be heavy financial burden
involved; that there was being fur
thered an attempt to push upon the
farming communities Improvement
that they were not in readiness to un
dertake.
An Appropriation for Experiment.
-. W. Smith. chairman of the stat,
good reads commission, in discussina
extracts from the bill recommends,
for passage to the Legislature by hi
commission. said that there was al
appropriation of $125.OOO per year fol
two years asked of the leg stature. tn.
state to bear half the expense of In,
building of the roads, the remainin:
half 10 be apportioned equally betweeI
the township and the county How
ever, the bill did not make il Obj
gatory on any township to inaugural,
road building. 1t was for the resi-
dents of the townships to take tn
initiative. The petition for the be
ginning of the Improvement mus
come from them. While necessarily
there would be an increase in taxa
u0n, state. connty and township. fol
owing the construction Of these roads
this was nothing in comparison to the
benefits to be derived. He spoke o,
the upEeaval that was caused in the
state of New York when hard roads
legislation was broachcd But in the
state of New York the farmers rep
resented only % per cent of the pop
ulatiOn. I'll he people OF the cities anG
villages wanted hard roads, and the
bill was passed by the legislature.
Soon Fall in Line.
II was not long until the people in
the farming communities began to ap.
preciate the practical benefits of hard
roads. and they have since been clam
oring for the extension of the improve
ments TO their localities Wherever
you find economical people there you
found hard boads. Mr.. Smith said
The New Englanders were the most
thrifty people of the United States.
They led the country in the building
of hard roads. Some of these New
Englanders had settled in the northern
counties of Illinois. There were to be
found the best roads in the state.
There was mistaken idea entertain
ed that the farm owner had the
whole sayso over the highways out
side the cities. These highways, Mr..
Smith said. belonged to the whole peo-
pie. 1t would be just as reasonable |
for the people of city to say that
they owned the paved streets These
were built just as much for the use cf
the farmer as for the use of the resi-
dents of the city.
Improves SOcInI Condition.
NJ J. McEniry, of Moline. said the |
bad road was one of the drawback
to farming in Illinois. 1t tended TO