Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-03-04
The Good Roads Movement.

NNG 0SS9 NSeao tUSNSbNShS
No enterprise Of public nature
was ever started without some one
or some body Of men taking the in
itiative. For many months there has
been considerable agitation about
better roads. This agitation result
ed in a meeting at Hutchinson re-
Gently at which 1t was resolved to
build or to maintain an extra good
wagon road to be known as "The
New Santa Fe Trail" Likewise the
movement spread until the towns
along the Missouri Pacific west of
Great Bend started In to secure a
good road. This movement, however,
while really the birth of the good
roads movement, are merely incidents
in the same. In order to urge the
proposition along committees have
been appointed all along the route,
Great Bend in the list. The purpose
Of these committees Is not alone to
look after the proposed roads, but to
boost the good roads movement in
general.
An arrangement has been made
whereby the state engineer, Mr..
Gearhart, of the agricultural college,
Is to address a meeting Of all in
terested in good roads at Great Bend
on March 14th., this meeting to be
followed by similar meetings in all
the towns along the Missouri Pacific
and Santa Fe. We say it has been
arranged, although there Is a little
hitch in the deal, it will be ironed
out all right. There is some expense
attached to this meeting. The coun-
ties visited, or some organization or
some one must bear Mr.. Gearhart's
expenses. Accordingly a committee
Of Great Bend business men called on
the county commissioners while in
special session here Monday, asking
them for an appropriation OF 800.
This, Of course, is much more than
his expense would be, but the COM
mittee had In mind the paying OF
these, expenses for this trip, the
sending out to all road officers a
compilation Of the road laws, (not
knowing at the time that the coun-
ty had already done this) then there
is the expense Of postage and other
incidentals to meet, which would like
ly not take all Of the money asked
for, but some Of 1t. It seems that
the impression got out that 1t was a
straight donation Of the amount to
the New Santa Fe Trail expense.
This is wrong. It was not. The
County Commissioners, except on Pc
tition and vote as provided by law,
cannot appropriate one cent for this
or any other kind Of road work, ex-
cept county bridges. To get the SEN
timent of the trustees of the town.
ships, who all happened to be present
at this meeting, 1t was left to a vote
by them, and they promptly turned
it down. We are inclined to believe
that neither the commissioners or
the trustees exactly understood the
move, or we believe they would have
acted differently. The money could
not have been appropriated at a
special meeting, Of course, but 1t
could have been arranged so as to
make it later The idea the committe
had was to get all the trustees OF the
county, and all other r5ad officers to-
gether in a meeting with Mr.. Gear
hart, which, with all due respect to
our officers, who are all good men,
would have resulted in much benefit
to them. There is no denying the fact
that an exchange Of opinions among
men on any subject will help every
one. AS previously stated, the roads
about which there has been so much
talk. are merely an incident in the
movement. And while 1t Is a fact
that many of our roads in this coun-
ty are good, yet there is always room
for improvement, and, in many cases,
there is much room.
The laws of the state on the road
building question are very plain and
are hedged about with proper precau'
tions so that too much money can
not be raised in one year to be Law
ishly spent. The people of this city
or any other community, cannot force
upon any township unnecessary or
or unreasonable expense in building
and maintaining good roads. They
can be of help, however in the move
ment, and that is what our people un'
dertOok to do. We hope that after
mature reflection the trustees and
others will conclude that there is
work to be done, and no one is trying
to do them or anyone else. Let us
lay aside our little prejudice in this
road matter, and work together, SO
that where we need road improve
ments we can have them. So far as
we are advised at this time, the
meeting to be held here by Mr.
Gearhart will be held on the original
date, March IA, at 2 p. m. You
are invited to attend and to talk
with him.
New Congregational Church.
Architect Quinn has the plans fin