The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1909-08-19

ClSHb III MlooOuIl Ndo lSdCHCu Ny tiio
means with some new and practical
agricultural information, and best of
all some sound agricultural inspira-
ton.
The edition of the annual report of
the Board has been increased from
1000 to 10000 and the quality Of the
report is so high and the demand is so
great that this increased edition is ex-
hausted within a month from the
time it is received from the printer
The bulletins of the Board of Agri-
culture have been increased in num-
Der and greatly increased in quality,
they now being issued each month
and edited mainly by specialists.
Fora quarter of a century Missouri
had made little progress in road i'm
provement and road building. This
matter assumed larger and larger i'm
portance as the State became more
fully developed, but those interested
in the subject were unable to agree
upon plan which seemed feasible.
Conventions for the consideration Of
this matter were held year after year,
one legislature provided an elaborate
system of laws, for the next legisla-
ture to repeal. 1t was really not I'M
til the road convention which was
held at Columbia in 1904 that Mr..
Ellis, in paper presented at the con-
vention, outlined in detail an entire
system Of road management and i'm
provement, that any substantial prog
ress was made. This convention
adopted Mr.. Ellis paper as view of
the way in which the matter should
be handled.
The question rested in this form
until 1906, when, through decision
of the Supreme Court, the county
courts found themselves helpless in
providing funds for the necessary re-
pairs of roads, and a convention of
the county judges of Missouri was
called again at Columbia, and Mr..
Ellis was invited to participate in the
proceedings, and presented the same
plan that had been adopted by the
previous convention, and it was again
adopted as the sense of convention.
Following this convention, the State
Board of Agriculture held road meet
ings during the summer and fall in all
of the principal towns of Missouri,
many of which Mr.. Ellis himself at
tended, to secure an expression of the
citizens of different parts of the State
on the feasibility of the plan propos-
ed by him. This series of meetings
was held by a mammoth convention
in Jefferson City after the legislature
had convened. 1t was attended by
more than 800 delegates from all over
the State, including representatives Of
the county courts of AZ counties, was
held in the Hall of Representatives al
the Capitol, for which both the House
and the Senate adjourned, and the
members themselves largely attend
ed. As a result of this convention, 9
legislative committee Of which Mr.
Ellis was chairman, was appointed
and the joint Highway committee O
the Senate and House, invited thi,
committee to remain in Jefferson Cit
and sit with it until suitable road bill.
could be drawn, and until they coult
be passed by both houses and signet
by the Governor.
The outcome of it all was that tn,
State for the first time in its historl
committed itself to the proposition o
state aid to highways, and appropriat
ed the sum Of Il, 500, 600 for this pur
pose. Il was no fault Of the autho
Of this measure, that the State Rev
enues were not sufficient to pa,
these acquisitions. Amendments b
the constitution were submitted pro
viding for q special county tax 10