Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-03-01
Road Law Enforcement.


The great weakness of the govern
ment Of the United States IS compared
with other countries is its defiance of
!, law on one hand and lack of enforce
/ mcnt on the other. We have certain
cDsss Of people, notably managers of
large corporations, whose main study
In life is to learn how to keep out of
the clutches of the law. They think
laws are made simply tn be evaded.
Then we have another class, officials
/, who have no objection to hold Office,
but serious objection to discharging its
duties. Among these are many officers
Of our public highways. Attorney
General Byers of Iowa has taken the
matter of law enforcement Of that
state in hand and has written letter
to the various county attorneys, calling
their attention to the fact that road
improvement is. largely matter Of
law enforcement, that this duty belongs
70 the officers of the law; and asks them
TO join with his department and
the state highway commission in order
to put in operation some of the laws
which are mandatory in form and which
give promise of producing good results.
Among these laws the attorney-gen-
eral mentions Chapter lO1 of the Acts
.of the Thirty-third General Assembly,
!, which makes it the duty of the town
ship trustees to provide for the use Of
road drag. This provision is mandatory
and covers all main travelled roads and
mail routes. The rate shall not exceed
SO cents per mile Travelled in dragging,
and compensation shall not be allowed
unless the work is authorized by
trustees. If, therefore, the trustees
do not see to it, that the roads are
dragged and the farmers not allowed
( to do it, the result is bad roads. He
asks the county attorney to see that
this provision is carried out in the fu-
ture.
Chapter s. makes it the duty of the
board of supervisors of each county to
call the trustees and road super
visors together between November and
April of each year for school Of in
struction. The object of this law is
to promote uniformity and more effic-
lent methods of road work in each
county. They are authorized to call in
persons who can give expert instruct
ion; and it is part of the official duties
Of these officers to attend these meet
ings. They are paid for the Same, and
the attorney-general asks the county
attorneys to see that these conventions
~ held and properly attended.
Attorney General Byers calls the Mt
tention of the county attorneys to the
fact that Chapter 1873 of the Acts Of
the Thirty second General Assembly
forbids any county or township Of
fcer to act as local agent for culvert
companies, bridge companies, road
machinery:companies, or furnish any
supplies which in any way return the
commission to him personally. 1t is his
understanding that this law has been
evaded, and he asks the county attorn-
eys to see that it is enforced to the
fullest possible extent.
This 10 one of the best of many good
things that Attorney General Byers
has done. Farmers have complained
to US within the last year that they
have been forbidden by the trustees to
drag the roads adjoining their farms,
and that the trustees themselves have
not seen that anybody else dragged
them. Many y time q farmer would
glsdly drag the road for nothing, if the
trustees did not forbid it. Such trus-