The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-09-03
What Is state Aid in Road BuiIdinEs


What Is State Aid i'm Road BuiIdingf
As both political parties have put n
State Aid Good Roads plank in their
platform and the Democrats have aided
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
INSTRUMENTATION than State Aid. A good
way TO explain what it is, is to tell what
1t isn't 1t isn't plan to force farmers
to build good roads. Not step can lie
taken, not dollar expended until the
lesidents of the respective townships
(Which are almost always farmers)
vote to build roads. IT 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 reads they vote TO build.
and also contribute a small amount TO
the State fund. the general public Is
Pre- tected against recklessness in ex-
pei diture.
State Aid does not take away any 10
cal control whatever over the roads.
The only restriction is that the actual
building Of the roads must be done un-
der State supervision. This means
capable engineer is furnished by the
State to see O good job is done.
State Aid recognizes the highways ms
public property used by all and benefit
ing all, and that every one ought to
help pay for them in proportion as they
Gre benefited. The equitable division
seems 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 it. 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-five per
cent Of the total. instead of one hundred
per cent. Thus the saving to farmers
under State Aid would be thirty 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 n "Square Deal"
The farmers of the West are waking
up to very disagreeable fact. and that
is that for 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
20 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
baild these roads. The State money
comes from q bond issue or a State tax
that covers al 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.
IL Illinois. under State aid. were TO
expend S5.000,OOO a year for ten years
upon building good roads the tax wouId
be less than ten cents per acre per year
on farm lands. The S5O,OOO,OOO would
be sufficient TO gravel OF macadamize
all the main highways of the State and
would give each township from fifteen
to thirty miles.
Georgia ConvIctS and Illinois Roads.
Whenever The Journal urges the en-
ployment of convict labor on public
roads, as it has often done. somebody
is sure 10 write asking if this newspa-
per would have the country initiate the
Georgia system of working convicts In
the open, with all the attendant cruel
ty of which the papers have lately been
full.
Just now one correspondent sends us
clipping to the effect that the lower
house OF the Georgia legislature has
passed a bill ending the present sys-
tenn OF convict labor on Jan. /. 1911,
and wants to know whether Illinois
and other States should take up a sys-
tenn repudiated thus in the South.
This and other indignant queries are
based upon misapprehensions of facts.
for the Gesrgia system bears no resem-
blance to that suggested By The Jour