Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-22
0 II UNI W ans
FAVOR new ROAD
BLUE GRASS HIGHWAY THROUGH
IOWA WILL BE BOOSTED BY
GOOD ROADS ADVOCATES
TO TRY YOUNG's PLAN
The Ideas of the Father Of the River
to-River Highway viii Be Fol-
lowed by Southern Iowa
Boosters.

ioWeo ny southern Iowa
Boosters.
The Blue Grass road, stretching
across Iowa from Council Bluffs to
Burlington, which is enthusiastically
favored by the. local good, roads
boosters, will be prosecuted along sim
liar lines as the famous riyer-to-river
road which Lafayette Young Of Des
Moines is sponsor for. ]. l.. Long OF
Osceola, q newspaper man, is boost
ing with all his mite for the Blue
Grass roadway, and he is daily con-
verting live wires in southern Iowa
towns in the cause. The plan followed
by Mr.. Young was to take the material
at hand and develop it into something
tangible in the way Of improved high
ways. Henry Barrett Chamberlain. an
eastern writer, explains the work OF
MIR. Young and others in behalf Of the
river to river road in the following
graphic manner:
People who attempted to tour Iowa
in automobiles last year will recall the
frightful condition of the highways in
that state. They were about the worst
between Chicago and Denver. The bot
tom dropped out and hub deep in the
mud was the usual experience of the
motor car men, The condition was so
serious that rural routes were dis
continued because the carriers could
not drive their delivery wagons
through the muck. The farmers had
to abandon their trips to town with
anything like large wagons and in
some places it was difficult to get
about on horseback.
Young Reused Association.
Then it was that the Iowa Good
Roads association woke up. The rous-
ing was caused by its president,
Lafayette Young, also editor and pub
Usher OF the Des Moines Daily Capital.
He said that something should be
done. He argued that it was useless
to consider ways and means for
building roads like those Of Europe
when the bottom was out. He, insisted
that it would. take, fifty years for
Iowa to construct roads similar to
those made by the Romans. When
taken to task for the statement. he re-
piled that, on second thought. it wonld
take a hundred. Then he handed out
a bunch OF figures relatives to taxa
ton and the good roads people con-
Guided that there was not enough
money in the world to put in the sort
Of foundation that would last for all
time.
But Lafayette Young they call
him LATE in his bailwick--knew bet
ter. He insisted that it would be pos
sible to create great highway with
out delay and without increasing tax
alton His statement was not enthus-
iastically received, but as there was
nothing else in sight it was suggested
that he try his plan He did and the
result is road $50 miles in length
leading from Davenport to Council
Bluffs. by way of Des Moines.
Young's Method.
"Mr. Young's method was simple.
He advocated dragging and draining.
He organized, at his own expense, q
interested the farmers
and the merchants. filled his news
paper full Of facts and figures, made
speeches, wrote letters and had en-
gineers look over the ground. He
pounded for a demonstration of what
road. dragging methods could do to the
Of Iowa under present road
legislation and levies and with the
present township and county roadmak-
ing organizations.
CAS- direct. result of his agitation
came the organization of the River to
River Road association. Committees
of business and professional men and
farmers were formed in every town
ship along the route. Their enthus-
iasm was stirred. and they assumed
the expense and responsibility for con-
structing their part Of the road. No
one community was required to do /
very much, but many communities
doing little resulted in a great
thoroughfare. Drags were put to work,
fills were made where necessary, each
neighborhood We'd with it's immediate
competitor and in time so short as
to appear almost miraculous there was
river to river read which
is an example to the rest OF the
country.
"The River to River Road associa- |
ton is now part Of statewide plan
formulated by delegates called to-
6eIuSI OiHCtdHy Ny 1OFciuOl SuA vi.
With an executive committeeman in
each of twelve counties in charge OF
the work in his county things moved
quickly Grades were built up, wet /
places drained and hundreds Of drags
put in operation. The same methods
and the same organization are keep
ing the highway in it's new condition
and bettering 1t from day to day.
"The building of this road is a prac-
teal demonstration of what may be
done in other states and is an encours J
aging example which will prove help
full to good roads advocates in other