Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-08-17
State Aid for Good Roads
o the Editor of. the Leader:

10 TIE EDITOR OF, the Leader:
A great deal has been said recently
upon the road question, all proceed
ing upon the theory that state aid for
roads is proper thing.
The theory is, that if the people
can be made to think that they are
getting state aid they will be free
to go ahead and make good roads re-
CARELESS of cost or of future conse-
quences.
1t is the same idea that is the foun-
1ation of the idea of the county aid
for town bridges, a delusicn and a
snare and has no further justification
than the gullibillty Of the people.
State aid, or county aid, are nice
propositions to look upon and they
Will catch the people that do not look
beyond. But when the question is
resolved to a final determination it
simply means an enlargement of the
graft proposition and depends for its
support upon tt e old idea that you can
fool most of the people most of the
time
The road question is a local ques
ton always and there is no reason
why it should not be. Certainly
there would be no justice in a require
ment that would compel WATERFOWL
Jefferson county to contribute to tax
levy to build a macadam road from
Milwaukee to Waukesha, or to COM
pei the people of Milwaukee to pay a
tax to build a road from Fall Creek
to Cadott. For, both of these pro
positions are of local interest only
and should be made subjects of local
taxation.
This idea of state aid for roads is
based upon a misconception and de-
ponds upon the support of those ad
vocates who, having a knowledge CT
human nature, are aware that the
people will submit to tax if it can
be sufficiently shrouded in mystery.
If they think that they are compell-
ing the state to aid them they don I t
care, forgetting all the time that the
cost eventually falls where it belongs,
or with greatest severity upon the
newly settled or younger communities.
State aid for roads is not the thing
desired. What is wanted is state con-
troll. Let the state determine that
all highway taxes shall be paid in
money. Make this the law without
exception or qualification. Then let
the state prescribe how this money
shall be expended; what shall be a
lawful road, how wide and how made.
Then put the community. the town or
the county, upon its own resources to
supply the means for the building of
the road.
The great evil, that exists today in
Wisconsin is that old barbarism,
Working out the road tax From
its early adoption it has become
fixed thing. a fixed holiday event in
some communities and so selfish have
the people become that reform is not
possible except by general legislation.
Let the law be so made that all
taxes for highway purposes shall be
paid in money. Let the law prescribe
what shall be lawful road and how
it shall be built. Make the law strict
in its requirements and be not too
careful to infiict penalties for violation
of the law. Then the road question
will be solved.
If the state wants to become road
builder let it assume control of certain
roads that cross the state from end to
end or from side to side, and undertake
to build them and keep them in order
at general expense. But for local
purposes cut out state aid and give US
state control.