The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-02-24

$40 get good roads we must have
the means, and legislation Is the
method by which to secure he |
means. The time has come for |
action. We want to know how to act.
Every man, woman and child In
Douglas county should see that the
issue of good roads is made vital in
every section OF Douglas county.
But we must meet upon some common
ground. Ii We cannot get from the
Legislature all hat We ask, all that we
ought to have, then we must get part
The money would be spent only as
au Investment. 1t is not fair that We
should build the system We want
by present tsxation Almost all rural
districts have built roads by special
taxation.
douglas county shodld issue bonds
Tor the purpose Of building maoadam-
ized Dads, up to a half million
dollars over series Of years and the
money expended would Hll practically
be spent here among her own people
The farmer, the merchant aud Rll OF
you would save enough In actual
transportation over good ROADS 10
pay fol them befote your bonds would
tecOme due. Every enc knows that
mscadamiZed road increases the
value OF every foot of land through
which they pass Let me build the
roads 10 miles from RosebdIg lu
every direction, aud at the eud OF
the road | will add $50 an acre to the
value of every acre immedisfely
tributary to the road Such coed
roads will 8lso bling many Et5iling
people here
"popuIatitn and wealth would thus
he Immensely incI ehsed Good roads
are not things of the day they are
eternal 1t ia right that the new
wealth good roads would bring
should help to build them. New
wealth to be created, more people to
come--that is the promise. The
J bon ling of Douglas county would
4 enable ID to not only secure the
money now and keep it here, but
to secure good roads which will add
4 wealth and the increased values many
times over pay the cost of construc
4 ion. That in my judgment Is the
good roads solution at one stroke.
J There will soon be presented to the
. people or to the Legislature one OF
Il LIiS Ulhlu VI lnio BooN heNNS
4 agitation That feature is to amend
& the constitution OF the state, by which
I. any county on majority vote can
8 issue bonds for building good roads.
[ | think the question will be carried
Q almost unanimously. II 3 majority
Il of the voters of Douglas county want
" good roads they should have them.
Q The majority of the people OF the
t county should not suffer by the
O present restriction against good
d roads.
"Ibe johnson bill which was de-
l. teated at the last session OF the
!, Legisl atnre should he enacted into
- law. Fur her, | thiuk the o0nVicts al
the Salem penitentiary should be
put to work in camps for the purpose
of making mscadam roads, sthese
camps to be located accord ny to the
best interests of the state They
should crush rock aud deliver the
rock tree TO each other county fol
use In the construction of perman
eut road under the supervision o
state engineer, Nominal fIelRhl
rates to distl irute the rock along the
line OF railway would he given. Ih'
convicts ale now hi ed out like slave
to work for 35 cents a day, aud | "a!
that that IS wrong There is Law
now by which any county may woTl
any one serving jail sentences Out
SIDE OF Multhombh county it is no
practicable foI The counties to pu
these men to work, as there is in eac
~ only a small number. Every count
n having any number OF prisoner
ba, n noFfinn la
county where as many as 80 may
grouped to Work effectively. Ihi
plan would also largely supplement
the proposed county bond issues
,r BY the united aud ooutinOus work a
great deal of road material can b
W prepared for use by these prisoner
If you have tfe money under tn
st bonding act necessary to huild tn
, good reads. NiUlati OF the orimin,
~ statue gives no royal right to laz
In ness. Prisoners should be mad
TO work, If they won't work. IheI
eS is one other aspect which is import
ant, and that IL, that the man VIII
a travels the road can save the freiHl
,,o rate. For it is fact that tt
w farmers freight rate begins at h
he gate and not the railroad station.
"As our roads are now, every Yet
V. an impossible barrier IL set up {
that the farmers cannot get to tow
during the time when the roads al
bad, with hrs crop yields when IL
market is best, Enough time, au
v wear aud tear, would he saved by tt
V building of good roads to mar
times pay their cost under the bon'
ing pl Al have suggested. DistaI
is not miles it is time to the peol
who travel Twenty miles on
maoadamized road In winter IL n
- as Tar two miles over some OF u
..+ roads we have in Oregon.
+ "Good roads lead O prosperity,
T higher civilization, to better home
I aud to better con litions generally,
!. The oonviCts are working on Il
7 roads in Washington Recent Visito
!. from here at lhe DAlles have no. ic'
+ the convict stOCkade located at Ly
7 where about lI5 prisoners from q
]. penitentIgry at Wslla Walla are |
+ cateu aud working on the road whlC
I the state across the river proposes
!. huild from Vancouver to Walla Wall
+ / be local people say that an exec
Z lent road is beiHg built and the
+ suggest that the oonVicts at Sale
+ might be put to work tor the goo
7 roads in Oregon.
.is