Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-03-29
THE CONVENTION
A GRAND SUCCESS
The Attendance Remarkably
Large and the Interest
Strong and General.

SliOuS anu OCUC[di.
The Good Roads Convention held
in Warren last Tuesday was an ex-
tremely successful affair. Everything
passed off as arranged.
The band was out on the main
square at little after nine O'Clock
in the morning. After playing
couple of pieces they went to the city
hall where they rendered couple of
selections. 's.-.
The meeting was called to order
promptly at ]0. a. M, by r. @. Math-
wig, chairman of the Commercial
Club Committee, who made a few
remarks and then named Judge Grin
deland as permanent chairman of the
convention. This was an early hour
to call convention of farmers this
time of the year and there was not a
very large number present. The sur
prising thing was that there were any
farmers on hand at all at this time,
but there was much to do and time
was valuable.
Mr.. Grindeland took the chair with
an address of welcome, stating the
value of agitation and discussion of
all matters of public welfare and in
terest. He instanced his experience
of twenty-four years residence here
during which agitation brought i'm
migration; how it brought cream
cries; how it started diversified farm
ing; how it has improved the grade
of live stock; how it has brought
drainage, and how it has effected
railroad building and freight rates.
This meeting was the beginningof an
agitation for better roads and, while it
might not be productive of imme-
diate results, still it was move in the
right direction. His idea had been,
for a long time, that the public road
building was done on an entirely
wrong plan. That it was extrava-
giant, wasteful and slow in the mat
ter of accomplishment.
While the judge was speaking the
crowd was growing and by the time
he extended the welcome of the city
to the visitors the city hall was
crowded to it's fullest capacity.
DR.. G.. S. Wattam came next with
a paper on country roads, which he
devoted chiefly to the prairie roads
OF the early days, which he claimed:
and as we all know, were in many
ways superior to the graded roads OF
the present day.
Chairman Grindeland followed with
a talk on city streets during which
he jabbed the builders of these and
intimated rather effectively that
rural road builders we're fully as
capable as the urban.
All this was preliminary to the
real object ofthe meeting, sort OF put
ting the assembly in a temper for
more direct talk in the. matter OF
Improvement. ..5Ea
At HIS a recess was taken and
the band was sent to the 500 depot
to meet and escort the Good Seed
Lecture Corps to the hall. A report
of this meeting will be found else
where. It was apparent that the city
hall was too small for the gathering
numbers and the convention met for
the afternoon session at the opera
house at l:3O O'Clock.
Major Cooley, engineer OF the State
Highway Commission spoke at length
on the object of the meeting, show
ing that it was part of the move
ment which is going on throughout
the whole country. 1t is proposed
4 to form organizations to foster and
encourage the demand for improve
ment Of highways and disseminate
information as to methods and means
Of procuring them. His talk was full
Of good sense. 1t was lengthy and
we canno5 reproduce anything more
than the merest outline. His recon-
mendapions for good roads were: lst,
good horse sense on the part OF the
makers; End, good machinery; and,
3rd, location. The last really ls
covered by the first, and we might
almost, say, the second also. He bore
down strongly on the matter OF morse
sense. A road grader was q gooo7
machine to have, but in constr ucblhe
! new grade, throw the sods aside.
Don't, out them on the grade they
will keep the road in poor condlt t1on
for years while rotting. The heavy
valley soil makes a good grade when
intee,lligently handled, but don't min nl1Iia