The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-11-03

Oouy, anu IL was ucSlSudCcu duu
termed "the pork. barrel BILL" That
has continued and the result, as l
stated, was not good. We have felt
that great deal OF the money was
wasted. Many appropriations started
anywhere and got nowhere, made no
connection with a state road or any
other road. The result was that the
political conventions of our state at
their last session passed resolution
of a plank of the platform, declar-
ing that this internal improvement
fund should be turned over to the
state highway commission instead Of
being divided by separate bills among
the legislators, and the result was
that when all the legislators met they
agreed at first, or at least they made
no opposition to it, to passing meas
ure of that kind, and they did pass
a measure which stated that any
money left over after the special APP
preparation for roads and bridges had
been made by the general assembly
that the highway commission should
have the jurisdiction Of spending and
determining where that money should
go. They, however, still felt that
the pork Darrell" should go round,
and SO they passed 90 bills apportion-
ing this money out In the state to the
various counties; some Of them were
excellent projects, others medium,
and others of very little value at all.
1t was fortunate that when the mat
ters came up We had some men who
were DESTROYS that 1t should be spent
systematically, and they protested
against division OF this fund in the
manner which I have indicated. But
they were not strong enough; but it
being platform of the political par
ty to which l belonged, l felt it my
duty to veto each and every one Of
them, and l did. (Applause.)
1 felt that If we were going to
start a systematic and intelligent
construction of highways with fund
in our hands of from $250,0O0 to
100000 that we could readily get
a pretty good start, especially as the
bill which had been passed saying
that whatever was left over after the
payment of special appropriations
should go into that highway commits
sion to be spent by them; provided,
that in the matter of countries that
the highway commission should re-
quire each county where road was
to be constructed to put up two dol
lars for every dollar that was put up
by the state highway commission, and
you can readily see that that gives
us a fund of from $75O,O0O to $780,
900.
Now, inasmuch as we are endeav-
oring to get systematic basis, the
state felt that it ought to put up one
third of the money, and consequently
it provided in the act that for every
dollar that was placed in the con-
struction of roads, tnat the counties
through which the roads were to pass
should pay up two dollars to the
state fund. Now there is an excep-
ton to that in some poor counties,
where ten per cent of the fund can
be used by the highway commission
within the county furnishing nothing,
but that is going to work great ben
eft to the state and great work is
going to be accomplished if that pol
icy adhered to; each county should
put up two-thirds. 1t is local
scheme to certain extent; it is a
state scheme to certain extent; and
the division of moneys and demarka-
ton should be about as l have indi-
Gated. And we hope that great
deal of construction work will be
done. Our highway commission has
laid out four thousand miles
of construction work, surveyed it and
it is ready for completion.
Some of our country out there is
not exactly like our eastern country
in roads. Outside of the mountain
Gus portion of our state, our roads
are exceedingly good, and plains
which extend from Denver to the
eastern boundary of the state consist.
Of natural highways themselves, and
all that is necessary to do is to crown
them so that they can be drained and
you have good roads. We haven't
the sticky soil that sticks to a wagon
when it travels upon it, and conse-
quently our road construction, ex-
cept in the mountains, is not exactly
at all. B In the noun
H.