The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-12-08
BAD ROADS FROM A WOMAN'S
STANDPOINT

STANDPOINT
Cat. the National Good Roads Con-
vention, Chicago)
Minona s. Jones, president of the
National Race Betterment League,
which organization has good roads as
a plank in their platform.
Good Roads like all other public
improvements can more readily be
obtained by the cooperation of all
the mentality of all the peop,e-to-
day but half Of the intelligence Of the
people of the community is being
utalized and that half is of course the
masculine half.
|" 1t is generally conceded by all the
delegates Of this body that Colorado's
executive, Governor Shafroth, takes
the lead in construction ability in
building roads and handling public
issues. Governor Shafroth comes
from one Of the states where women
as well as men, have. the ballot Or
the tool to work with to elect better
governors and to build better roads.
Illinois women attempted to advocate
votes for women by invigorating an
automobile tour and speaking from
the auto. They got down near the
center of the state and their auto got
stuck in the mud and the trip was
abandoned. illinois has millions OF
tons of splendid road making mater
falls; the shale rock which was blast
ed out of the drainage canal is today
an eye sore-it has divided the cous-
try in sections, destroyed the land
sale and interfered with traffic. THIS
broken shale rock should be used. 1t
Is a question of transportation
which can be easily overcome, since
all railroad officials understand tina,
good roads are the veins to supply
freight-and. business to the raj =
roads which are the arteries-anc
would transport this rock at cost of
operation as is done in Colorado. The
straight road is always an abomina-
ton bit the pioneers built straight
roads in Iowa, which have been costly
and unsightly, when the roads of To-
wa or any ether state could be SUR
veyed to follow the contour of the
hills and river beds and avoid the
long tedious pulls up the, hills in the
muoky soil
Illinois is twenty-five years behind
the times in legislating for public i'm
provements-nearly all laws which
have been passed in the interest of
public improvements have been de-
clared unconstitutional by the Illinois
supreme court. Wisconsin, not only
had good roads, but sign boards
pointing the way for a weary travel
er and earning admiration for state
which is considerate of the strangers
who tour her highways.
The city thoroughfares are the de-
spair of the people of every munich
pality. Although the streets and al
leys belong to all of the people in
every country-yet in Illinois those
who own the property abutting upon
street must pay special assess
ment to build the road and have the
same. The special assessments COM
pei the house holders to mortgage
their houses and lots until nine
tenths of the homes in our cities in
Illinois are mortgaged. -
The residents of street wait years
and years for the street builders and
months and months of time the en-
tire street sometimes miles and miles
are torn up when the better way
would be to break up half of a
block at time and finish it before
going ahead-after months and years
of weary waiting the pavement is
completed and the citizens can use
the streets once more-but, not for
long, for many times that beautiful
pavement is not down more than two
months when the telephone company
cuts a ditch through the street and
never leaves it in as good condition
as it was and then after a few days
the gas company sends gang of men
and they tear up the entire street
from end to end and make buns-
ling job replacing same; then again
the water department send out their
men and they rip up the new pave
ment to place their big heavy iron
ed $4,000 and $2,500 additional has