Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-02-18
PLEA FOR GOOD ROADS
J. W. Parmly Makes Strong Ar.
guments for Better Roads.

proved Stock Breeders association re-
Gently. He said in part:
Roads are measure of civilization.
The food supply of the world passes
over our wagon roads.
The tonnage on our country roads
far exceeds that of the railroads
Our road laws are out of date.
They encourage incompetency, shift
1essness and make petty graft easily
possible.
Under them only farm property is
taxed or the building of country
roads.
The automobile demands better
roads and is here to stay whether the
farmer is willing or not.
No state in the Union can have bet
ter roads at less cost than South Da-
kota.
The greatest load which can be
hauled over a road is the load that
will go through the deepest mud hole
or up the steepest hill.
The earth road with gravel top
where possible is the practical road
for South Dakota conditions.
One of the great social and eco
nomic questions before the public to-
day is that of improving our high
ways.
Inland waterways, irrigation of the
semi-arid lands, the lakas-to-the-gulf-
railway are minor matters compared
with the building CT good roads. |
can hardly overstate it's Importance
The condition of the country roads af-
fects the markets of the world in all
its range from a dozen eggs in the
corner grocery to the money market
of Wall street. On account of roads,
worse than usual in the Corn-pro1uc-
ing states, the farmer is unable to
market his crop OF corn. Feed be
coming short, stock unfinished is
rushed to the market at loss, caus-
Ing decline; and successful! cor
ner Is made possible in the corn Dit
The feeder, the farmer ana the com
try dealer in either case is caught
between the upper and neither mill
stone.
The question before us is What is
the remedy?" We face a condition
that must be changed before success
in the making of good roads is reach
ed. People must be educated and cub
lie sentiment must be created. The
economic Importance Of better roads
must be taught to the farmer. say
it kindly but advisedly and truthfully
when I say the farmers, who use the
roads most, are responsible for pres
ent conditions. The attempt on the
part of the business men to have bet
ter country roads is resented in many
instances as an Interference with in
herent rights
The history of road building shows
actual money saved resulting there
from to be several times greater than
the cost Of building. A good road
along the main highway will add at
least five times its cost to the value
of adjacent farms. 1t will pay 25 per
cent per year interest on the invest.
ment after paying for maintenance. a
country should borrow money on its
bonds for building roads at s per cent
The state should do 1t at per cent
The United States at per cent.
The farmers in time of peace. tim.
bled over each other in voting s7O.
600 for the state militia and defeated
a bill providing for farmers institutes
costing $4,000 and finally when driv.
en- to its passage cut the appropria.
ton down to $4,000. They voted $50.
900 for law school building and vote
down $4,000 for two years appropria.
ton to eradicate and keep out infeo.
tious live stock diseases; they defeat
a good roads law and vote appropria.
tons, many of them useless, putting
the state in debt 100000. These
comparisons could be extended. but
will not take your time Herewith. Rut
Just let me show the attitude Of the
legislator farmer to the so-called good
roads bill of two years ago.
In order to meet with more favor
with the tiller of the soil and the
stockman it was made optional as to
whether 1t be adopted by a county or
not. No country had to have it if thew
did not want it. Yet it went down to
~ AclA 1ISl VOIGS. IlGr0 were
A votes for the bill, SO against. 9 alb.
sent Forty-five votes were necessary
to pass-it thus lacked one vote only
OF passing. OF the SO votes against
the bill 81 were farmers.
No one took the floor in opposition
to the bill. 1t was recognized by the
leading road experts as a model and
containing only the better features OF
the laws of the most progressive road
building states. All the opponents
said il it was. that it was in the in.
terests of the automobile and ahead
of it's time
It's main features, and thew are more
IN favor today than when voted down
were:
l: Payment of all road taxes in
cash.
2. Expenditure of all money under
NEARLY A MILLION