Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-12-06
The County Bridge 81 oney

Is it squandered? That Is the ques-
ton which n. N. Clark asks in Success
full Farming, and proceeds to partially
answer his own question.
The muckrakers have recently given
US so much expose literature that odd
General Public" has learned that many
Of his trusted officials who collect,
handle and spend public funds have
Interior motives which are not COM
mensurate with economy.
Very often when the average man
reads public funds" he thinks graf.
When started out to gather data for
this article i was prejudiced in favor
Of the tax payer. When read "1s 1t
Squandered?" Thought yes was tho
answer. and began to search for EVIL
dence to Substantial my biased con-
viction. "O!d Lady Prejudice" plays an
important part in forming the average
mans notions and beliefs regarding
public officials and public funds.
The editor commissioned me to
look into the matter Of county bridge
building and find out II there was any
crooked work going on. I looked and
found many crooked bridges that had
been built by contractors who were on
the square. When l started on my
quest for information I was obliged
to cross q bridge-a six-Span solid con-
crete structure that cost the taxpayers
OF Polk county several thousand dol
lars And as my mind as well as my
body was upon bridges, made some
observations which tilted my mind and
threw "Old Lady Prejudice" off her
balance. / hope she fell III the river.
Be that as it may, the bridge was
crossing was not only a beautiful and
substantially built structure, but also q
necessity, and the money that was
spent to build 1t was not squandered.
Nor is all your tax money squandered.
l decided to be truthful in my mar
rative and only state facts that could
be proven by substantial evidence. l
shall not burden my article with fig
ures. dates. names. exact locations. etc,
nor any technicalities which might be
juggled and disputed by INSCRIPTIONS
contractors
In searching for bridge facts i de-
cided not to cross any bridges until
came to them. but I came to bridges in
Cedar county, Iowa, that were so d.
lapidated and rotton, that they would
not bear my delight Obs pounds. ]
could not cross them when I got to
them Bridges paid for with good tax
money that were so faulty in construc-
ton that they collapsed with the first
high wateS.
foun bridges that have never been
crossed by horse or wagon-several
of them-bridges, the floors OF which
were covered with weeds growing out
Of the untrodden soil deposited by the
wind, bridges built where there is not.
nor ever were roads connecting with
them-isolated and useless structures
OF wood, steel and concrete: useless in
every sense except as object lessons TO
teach the taxpayers that the great god
graft is still in their midst.
One Of the best constructed bridges
that I crossed-a splendid example OF
| masonry, paid for out OF the pubic
funds of Polk county-led to the prf-
yate grounds Of an Influential! farmer at
the termination Of a road not moro
than a half mile long. The bridge was
apparently built for his exclusive use
Your tax moneys it squandered? IN
some cases 1t is not only squandered
| but stolen.
In Harrison county. Iowa, stood on
a bridge ia midnight. and at thta late
hour could tell from the way it ratified
that 1t was "king-bolt" bridge. The
specifications for that same bridge
stated plainly and emphatically thai
the Joints should be steel-riveted. "A
steel-riveted bridge is practically as
solid as If the entire structure was one
! .1,i1a II INC
bridge is anything but solid. foun5
many cases in Iowa where the terms o.
the specifications had been violated by
contractors and pin connected bridges
substituted for riveted work.
The commonest form of graft II
bridght building is that OF charging anc
| collecting exorbitant prices for extra:
In the way of material and repairs
This common petty grating would MOI
be possible if all supervisors were
thoroughly honest When a supervisor
allows a man s25 for mailing two cross
beams onto some piling the supervisor
knows some one is grating
There are several counties In tn
| state of Iowa that are referred TO nI
bridge contractor as "S-farms," tern
that means a district in which on
bridge building firm has sure th1nt
when it comes to procuring bridge con
tracts. All other concerns know that
would be useless to bid on bridge wori
in a county known as an s. farm
Most Of the "S- farms are non
competitive counties. A foreman wh'
has bossed many bridge jobs in Iowa
remarked to the writer that he wouli
rather have the yearly contracts in on
particular non-competitive ("S-
farm') county than the yearly con
tracts of all the competitive countie
in the state, meaning, OF course, tina
} the profit to the favored contractor u
non-competitive county Is create
than in competitive counties.
There are tricks in the trade o
; bridge building as in all others
learned of case where the supervis
, ors advertised that bids would
) opened on "wednesday the 9Th"
happened that the 9Th day Of the mont
, did not fall on a Wednesday, but tn
contractor with the pull" had his bi