Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-10-14
COOP RoADs AND LAND VALUES.


GOOD ROADS AND LAND VALUES.
The y. q. Lockhart Land company i
confident they could sell three times a
much land if there were good road
upon which they could take prospective
to see the land offered. The Statement
is very conservative. The roads naal
Pierre are so bad on the average tha1
prospective buyers make up thei1
. minds before they see the land thai
they don't want it,
To some extent this may be due to
lack of appreciation of good roads on
! the part of the farmers themselves.
A newspaper in another state gives
expression to this view in saying:
Wien bond propositionss have been
submitted the opposition has come
from those vino would pay but a frac-
ton of the tax rather than from the
city property holders who would pay
the bulk Of it. 1t is assumed that the
reason for this was that the city people
We're more appreciatiye of the value of
good roads, not only to the farmer, but
also to the merchants and business
with whom the farmer deals. Now the
farmer is beginning to recognize his
own interest in the matter, and the re-
salt must be greater co-operationin the
efforts for good public highways.
In this portion of the state the sent
ment is practically unanimous in favor
ofgood county roads. In view of ulti-
mate results road improvement costs
nothing. Every dollar extended in
such improvement not only adds to the
value Of all Of the land to be served by
the road, but but it helps in getting
new settlers and more taxable proper
ty. Besides it helps both country and
city IN the matter of farm supplies.
and it increases the business OF the
city. Altogether the benefits largely
exceeds the cost. 1t is not an expendit-
nre, but an investment, and mighty
good one, Public sentiment should be
awakened upon the subject of the road
Improvement.
Nominations in New York city for
assemblymen, have resulted in turn
ing down all those who voted against
primary reform in the last legislature,
and the selection of men pledged to
back Governor Hughes in his ad-
vocacy Of the direct primary. Last |
year six out of eight of these assem-
blymen voted against primary reform;
this year the figures will be reversed.
This change is in harmony with what
ts taking place in the country dis
tricts, and from present indications
the machines efforts to defeat pri-
mary reform will end in disaster.
Governor Stubba of Kansas has issu.
20 q general challenge to anybody and
everybody in and cut the state to pro-
duce any evidence showing corrupt and
Inefficient government under his admin
lstration. This is a rev expedient for
3 public officer under fire, but Kansas
is always prolific of new eSpedients.
Usually the official under the FIRE tries
tnprove q negative and fails. Demand
ing affirmative proof is d Kansas inno-
vation which ought to find acceptance
Uncle Joe Cannon paid his respects
70 Senator Albert B. Cuminins in his
speech at Knoxville, Iowa, and Senator
Cummins comes back in kind. Both
Uncle Joe and the senator are able
speakers, and handy men in scrap.
While their controversy has setteled
ncthing the address of both men make 4
reading, and have added to
the gayety Of politics in Iowa ard q the
west. Aberdeen News.
While it is barely possible that the
climate in some sections of the country
may have been equal to that with which
South Dakota has been favored during
the past month, it must be distinctly
understood that when any state from
the Great Lakes to the Gulf or from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, pretends to
have had finer weather during that
period, we are unconvinced and direct
from Missouri.