The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1911-06-29
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR
A Mile of Road

good. In locating "A public high
way this applies with great force.
Its beneticence or otherwise is not
transient but will continue on and
on into the indefinite future. We
should therefore be extremely
careful in this matter.
A lifetime now approaching four
score years has taught me the
hardest thing | have ever tried to
do is to keep my own head level.
What is true of me in this respect
Is | suppose true of everybody.
There are SO many things to warp
and turn our judgments to one
side. Self-interest, partality for a
friend, prejudice, etc. Couple this
with the fact very few men not
educated to the work are capable
of locating road to the best ad-
vantage. Democracy is correct in
principle but the will of the peo-
pie is frequently better executed
by a judicious representation than
by a multitude. For these reasons
and others | could mention. |
would regard it impolitic, in fact,
unwise to attempt to locate this
road by such means. | therefore
make the following suggestions:
Let the town of Brady elect
three men as committee and
Philip, city or town, elect a like
committee of three. Thus we have
a committee of six representative
men. Let no man serve on this
committee who has any interest
near or remote in any land near
where the road is to be located.
Nor should this committee be al
lowed any pay for this work.
This to the end that only public
spirited candid men who are will
ing to give something of their time
shall be on the committee.
When this committee is elected
let it be distinctly understood their
first duty is to employ a thorough
ly competent engineer and instruct
him to find and locate the very best
road from the deep draw to the
base line on the ridge as near as
practicable to the continuance of
the road on the section line between
sections five and six Brady town.
ship. This regardless of whose land
it goes over. Should it go through
some mans pasture, cattleways
can easily be made so stock can
pass from one side to the other at
their pleasure.
Now let this same committee
proceed to settle with the man
whose property they have appro-
priated. If he is a generous public
spirited man he will want no more
than his actual loss or damage and
this he should have. If no agree
ment can be reached and he will
not arbitrate it would have to be
condemned and appraised by
jury. We would then have the best
road of which the nature of the
ground permits and no injustice
done any man. Here | will be met
by those who say and say truly a
considerable sum of money is re-
quired. ! am not familiar enough
with the taxing and road systems
of South Dakota to discuss this
subject intelligently and therefore
leave it for those better posted in
this matter. l will say however,
each congressional township has
thirty-six sections or IA quarter
sections. 1t is probable at least
six out of every seven of these are
owned and held by non-residents.
They have built shack. had a few
acres of prairies broken, lived on
it or maybe let their family live
on it for few months, proved up,
sold their shack and gone expect
ing the value of their lands to be
enhanced many fold BY the labor
and enterprise of those that re-
main. Is it any injustice to these
spectators or rather IS it not JUS
tico that these lands ch0nld Ia