Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-02-21
GOOD ROADS MEETING
HELD AT THE COURT HOUSE LAST WEEK
Attendance was Small but the Discussions
were Interesting. Address by the
President.

fIeSlOeuI.
The meeting of the Winnesheik
County Good ROADS Association at the
court house last Thursday and Friday,
while poorly attended, was very in
teresting to those who were present
and doubtless resulted in much good
being done, which will eventually
result in the Improvement of county
roads, subject in which we are all
interested.
The main attraction of the program
was the presence of Mr.. Mcdonald,
secretary of the state good roads as
ISOLATION, who is employed by the
state in the experimental school at
Ames, to disseminate information in
respect to concrete work ON roads, for
bridges, culverts, etc.
He expected to get here Thursday
afternoon, but missed his train and
did not arrive until Friday noon,
but during the afternoon and evening
gave very interesting and instructive
talks to the association. He illus.
trated his remarks with stereopticon
views Of work such as he advocates,
and presented facts and figures to
prove his claims to the superiority of
concrete over all other material for
bridges and culverts.
During the meeting there were
some interesting and valuable discus
sions ON the subjects of wide tires,
relocation of roads, the widening of
sleighs to the same width as wagons,
etc., besides general discussion along
lines pertaining to the general SUBJ
ject OF good roads.
The officers elected were as follows
President--J. HI. McMillen.
Vice Pres. "A. T. Holton.
Secretary-E. O. Bailey.
Treasurer-E. j. Curtin.
Directors-C. o. Mal.by, o. l..
Wennes, Ed Lynne, @. S. Barfoot,
N. II. Adams, A. N. Vance.
Following is the address of Presi-
dent McMillen upon opening the
meeting:
Gentlemen of the Winneshiek County
Good Roads Association:
In calling this association together
l am glad of the opportunity to speak
to you upon the great question that
we have met to consider. There is not
greater question before the people
today than what can be done to i'm
prove our public highways. 1t is as
great question as can engage the at
tention of a thinking people. Our
organization is not here to find fault
with what has been done in the past
in the way of road making. There
was period in the history of our
state when the only means the people
had of making roads was their in
dividual labor. This was in the
pioneer days when the people were
poor and the population few. To
these pioneers / want to accord full
praise. They did their work well and
faithfully. They made the roads as
good as they could with the means at
their command. The surprise is that
in spite of all our progress we should
continue to employ the same methods
on our highways that they were
obliged to.
We pride ourselves upon our
American business sagacity and fore
sight, and often fiatter ourselves that
we lead the world in these respects.
Bnt, if we cite the building of public
highways in the greater part of our
common country, as an example Of our
business mathods, it would not only
make us ridiculous in the eyes of the
people of other countries, but it would
indicate that we oSght to Ihave large
institutions for the care of the feeble
minded. This is true, particularly of
many men who sit in the legislative
bodies of our state and even in the
halls of congress, and if their views
upon the subject of good roads are to
be taken as fair criterion Of their
average intelligence, it woud be more
appropriate to place them under
guardianship than to place them in
office.
The public road is the most common
of all interests; it is promotive Of
trade and comm cree, the adjuster of
freight tariffs, the "always on time, I"
ready open way for all the-people.
1t leads to the church, the school,
the library, the town, the market, the
mill, the store, the place of amuse-
ment, and the social gathering. 1t
Ilaces the farmer in touch with tie
events of the world through the rural
mail delivery, with the daily paper,
market reports, latest periodicals and
magazines containing the best current
thought of the hour. II equalizes
trade for the merchant and insures a
steady market for the farmer and the
consumer.