Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-09-16
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J i l|IlEiI!||9oAAES
What Is State Aid In Road BuildingF

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What Is State Aid in Road Buildingf
AS both political parties have put
State Aid Good Roads plank in their
platform and the Democrats have added
Federal Aid as well, the good roads
question takes on an added interest.
Perhaps there is no question before
the public about which there Is more
misinformation than State Aid. A good
way to explain what 1t is, is to tell what
1t isn't 1t isn't plan to force farmers
to build good roads. Not q step can be
taken, not a dollar expended until the
residents Of the respective townships
(Which are almost always farmers)
vote to build roads. 1t is rather plan
that forces cities, towns and corpora
lions to help pay the cost Of such roads
as the farmers decide by majority vote
to build. AS these farmers, under State
Aid, will have to pay one-half the ex-
pense Of the roads they vote to build,
and also contribute a small amount to
the State fund, the general public is
protected against recklessness in ex-
penditure.
State Aid does not take away any To-
cal control whatever over the roads.
The only restriction is that the actual
building Of the roads must be done I'M
der State supervision. This means a
capable engineer is furnished by the
State to see a good job is done.
State Aid recognizes the highways as
public property used by all and benefit
ing / II, and that every one ought to
help pay for them In proportion as they
are benefited. The equitable division
Esems to be to place half the cost
against the State and the other half
against the township, leaving the town.
ship to decide what roads, how many
and when they shall be improved; the
State having no voice in 1t. If all the
townships in the State of Illinois, for
instance, should improve their roads at
the same time under the present law the
farmers would pay one hundred per
cent or the whole cost. If under state
aid they would pay fifty per cent, the
local proportion, plus three-tenths Of
the other fifty per cent, or siXty-fve per
cent of the total, instead Of one hundred
per cent. Thus the saving to farmers
under State Aid would be thfrty-five
per cent, which amount would be paid
by towns, cities, railway and other cor
porations.
In nutshell State Aid is a plan to
make cities, towns and corporations
pay part Of the cost Of building such
roads as the farmers decide to build.
Sixteen states now build by State Aid
and ten more are taking steps to do So
Farmers Demand Square Deal"
The farmers Of the West are waking
up to very disagreeable fact, and that
Is that for a generation or more they
have paid all the road taxes that have
been paid, and yet the roads are pub
lie property--as much as the County
Court House
The farmers of every State east Of
Indiana have discovered that they have
victimized themselves by paying all the
road taxes. They demanded and Sc
cured State aid so that from One-half
to two-thirds of the cost Of building
and keeping up the roads Is paid by
the State. That means that everybody
pays road taxes.
Under State aid (that is now in
force in sixteen States, with ten more
about to adopt it) the farmers do not
In any way lose control of the high
ways, and only such roads can be i'm
proved as the voters Of the respective
townships decide upon. AS these voters
are almost wholly farmers they control
the situation completely. All the State
can do Is to render financial aid to
build these roads. The State money
comes from bond issue or a State tax
that covers all property in the State.
In Illinois, for instance, farmers pay
only thirty per cent Of the State tax.
The big taxpayer Is the city Of Chi
cago, which pays forty-two per cent Of
all taxes paid in the State
Under State aid gravel and stone
roads can be built with very little, If
any, increase in farm taxes.
If Illinois, under State aid, were to
expend $5,0O0,OO0 year for ten years
upon building good roads the tax would
be less than ten cents per acre per year
on farm lands. The $5O,OOO,OO0 would
be sufficient to gravel or macadamize
all the main highways Of the State and
would give each township from fifteen
to thirty miles.
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Good Roads and Politics.
The political managers always keep
their ears to the ground and as soon