The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-03-03
THE TRUTH. ABOUT THE GOOD RoaDs
! RESOLUTION At THE EDL-s
TORLAL MEETING.

= 11S gAAajAISOOI5 TIE SfUOD ROADA
HESOL UTION 1T THE EDI-
TORIAL MEETING.
Some editors would rather lie than
tell the truth. A 'hireling editor who
has received his thirty pieces Of sill.
ver'' may deem it his bounden duty
to show super--serviceable !. zeal in
Ibehalf of the man or cause he has
been hired to advocate, but he should
exercise little discretion in his
lying, otherwise he will do the man
or cause he espouses more harm
than good.
At the recent meeting Of the State
Editorial association the publisher of
the Mon read a paper on "The
Problem of Good Roads, ''-the paper
is published in full on page six of this
issue. A careful perusal of the same
will convince any sane person that it
contains nothing criminal or treason
able.
After we had finished reading the
paper a motion was made and unani-
mously carried instructing the com
mittee on resolutions to report a. res
olution in favor of the calling of an
extra session of the legislature to act
on the proposition to enact and sub
NIT a 1-mill tax amendment. But we
will let Hon. G. F. Macdonald, the
| veteran editor of the St. Cloud Times,
tell the story:
SPECIAL SESSION MOTION.
Some OF the political writer's for
the twin city papers seem to think
there was a scheme connected with
| the passage of a motion at one of the
editorial convention sessions direct
! ing the committee on resolutions to
report a resolution in favor of the
calling of an extra session of the leg
islature, to pass and submit to the
voters at the next election a consti-
tutional amendment providing for the
levying of a 1-mill tax to be expended
throughout the state for good roads.
This was suggested in a paper read
by r. G. Dunn. There was very little
discussion of the paper, all of a
favorab BILE character. The Times ed1-
tor made the above motion, without
ever consulting any one, and it was
adopted unanimously. The committee.
which had evidently been approached
by some one, reported a resolution
endorsing the tax amendment, but
leaving out the approval of the special
session.
There was no thought on our part
Of h
making political capital for or
against any one-we are not engaged
in that work. This is the real truth
of the motion for the special session.
Now read what Mr.. G. c. Whitney,
of the Marshall News Messenger, has
to say on the same subject:
AS a matter of fact it was solely
due to the efforts of Mr.. Dunn that
the convention was not committed to
resolution requesting a call for an
extra session to consider a l-mill
road tax. In his paper on good roads
the previous day he favored an extra
session, and when interrupted by a
query if he would favor having this
convention ask for such session. he
quickly responded to the. contrary,
assuming it would be a political mat
ter in which the editors should not be
involved. But Notwithstanding this,
it was unanimously voted to instruct
the committee on resolutions to pre-
sent a resolution urging the governor
to call such a session. When the COM
mittee reported the following day, on
the suggestion of Mr.. Dunn it modi-
fed it's resolution approving the good
roads plan, by emitting reference to
the governor and a special session,
but urging ''speedy action" in promot-
ing the good roads scheme. This
report precipitated controversy in the
convention at the instance of the
previous day, and Mr.. Dunn again
successfully opposed a convention
demand for an extra session. Had
Mr.. Macdonald been conferred with
regarding the action of the committee
no question would have been raised.
! 1t was fortunate the convention did
| not go on record for an extra session,
and if necessary there would have
| been warm contest, but the conven-
ton was a unit in support of hasten
ing plans for good roads, and doubt
less the extra session feature would
have carried except for Dunn's op-
| position. Considering the doubtful l.
ness of the people being sufficiently
educated in good roads sentiment to
favor a tax amendment this fall, the
moral of Bob Dunn's action must
have been that he is more interested
in the success of his good roads
scheme than in the embarrassment of
the present administration. In a
purely political game Bob would not
voluntarily release a strangle hold
on an opponent
The chairman Of the committee on
resolutions requested Dunn to draft
such a resolution as he deemed appro.
pirate, and the resolution which was
drafted by Dunn, without consulting
with any one, was adopted by the
association. The resolution made
no mention of an extra session, and
for this reason: The governor has
said in a general way that he is ir
favor of good roads-nobody but ar
idiot would say he was opposed tC