The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-09-17
Gov. ]. @. Davidson Puts Him
self on Record Favoring IN
provement Of Highways
COUNTY SHOULD SUPERVISE
Governor However Believes that State,
County and Towns Should Aid in
Making the Roads of All
Counties Better

Governor James Davidson is friend
Of the Good Roads movement, as eYi-
denced by the following letter which
he recently sent to the convention in
Milwaukee:
Gentlemen of the State Good Roads
| Association:
| / regret that am unable to be with
| you to tell you in person that I think
your association is working along a
good line. [ think that the subject Of
] better roads is, and should be, Of as
/ great interest to farmers and mer-
chants and all classes of people as
| any other public question that has
been brought to their attention for
many years.
think that it is but just and right.
that the state should help the farmers
to pay for the better roads which they
need SO much. All classes Of peo-
pie will be benefited and all classes
should therefore join in paying for
the roads tIat will benefit them. It
is not right that the farmer alone
should pay the whole cost as he prac-
tically does at this time. But I know
you believe that the state should do
this or you would not be assembled
as you are. 4ss
I feel that it is necessary that the
control of the road building should be
left with the people, but also believe
that it is necessary that the state Of
Wisconsin have some sort of super
vision over the building. It should do
this to insure the people that the
money appropriated by the state is ex-
pended in such way that it will do
the most good for all. There should be
nothing compulsory about building good
roads, but wherever any community is
progressive enough to want to have
creditable roads it should be assisted by
the state.
I am familiar with the movement,
and have been for the last fifteen years,
and Of whatever assistance I can be I
will give readily. Let every dollar be
properly expended for the best inter
ests Of the whole people. I do not
think it would be wise to increase our
road taxes under our present system,
for we are wasting too much as it now
is. What we must do is to work toward
system in which every dollar will be
spent to the best advantage.
In order to accomplish this, this
question must be left entirely out of
politics, absolutely. The legislature
which passes a law for state aid must
be very careful, because trouble will
result if matters are left so that any
member can engineer it 50 as to help
only the people in his immediate dis
tTict. The law must be so drawn that
the poorest town will be able TO take
advantage of the bounty Of the state,
and it must also be so arranged that
the strong towns cannot take all the
money the state has to offer. There
must be a system devised under which
there will be no unnecessary state of
fcers or expensive commissioner
want just as few as we can have to
see that the states money is properly
expended.
[ thoroughly believe that the state,
the county, and the town should join
in paying for the roads, and that the
state should not assume entire control,
but should work through the counties
in every way possible. We must de-
velop sysem in which there are few
highly efficient state employees who
can work through local man in each
county. This county official should al
SO be selected for his ability as road
builder. In this way only will we be-
gin to see the results we ought to get
for the millions Of dollars we are
spending on our roads every year.
Mpc nADT TncrDrTcrAT nrrAn