Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-06-29
R. D. BELL Gives !
ROAD GOSPEL
BELkNAP EXPONENT OF BETTER
/. HIGHWAYS POINTS WAY
TO IMPROVEMENT

Belknap, June 27.--R. D. Bell, one
Of the numerous good roads advocates
Of this section, has prepared paper
on better highways in which he Moor
porates some good information. Mr.
Bell favors the proposed highway con
Meeting Ottumwa and Bloomfield. Mr.,
Bell says ten years ago a road drag
in Davis county was a curiosity. Con.
tlnuing, he writes:
1.-THE first one ever saw was seven
years ago. and it was one of my own
construction. | know there were not
many in the county because, whenever
Il used it on the road the people l met
sc smed very much surprised to see a
machine like that. The next spring,
that is, six years ago now, quite few
drags were constructed, but not much
was done with the drag in Davis
county until five years ago. We have
accomplished considerable in five
years and in five years more it IS rea-
sonable to suppose that twice as much
will be. done. We have passed the OK
detrimental stage of the road drag, to
some extent and the experimental
stage of road building along other
lines.
I'VE have learned now what to do
and next in order is to do the things
that have been learned. 1t seems to
me that just now one of the main
obstacles of progress is the injustice
of the road dragging.
Most any one can drive a drag. 1t
seems to me that everyone should
have a chance to drag by his own
farm. Many farmers can afford, much
better, to drag the road alongside their
own farms some rainy day when they
would otherwise be idle, than to be
to pay tax to some other
man who may not need the money
nearly as bad.
why can't every man drag his
share of the road along his farm and
receive his proportion of what money
he pays to the road dragging fund? If
every man felt like he was being paid
for his labor there would be extreme.
ly few who would hesitate to drag the
road along by their farms. During the
past seven years I have donated, all
told. several days dragging. to the
townships of Cleveland and Soap
Creek. know of others who have do
mated quite lot of work also, and
hen also know Of few who have
Jeen paid something for their services
md did no better work than those who |
gave their labor to the benefit Of the
general public. ....
THE road laws Of Iowa have quite
|, lot of information in regard to road |
lragging on pages Sc to 90. 1911 edi-
ion. may be mistaken, but I don't |
believe we are quite in harmony with |
LII the details of Iowa's road laws. !
~ see that there Is movement now |
It hand to build better highway from
Bloomfield to Ottumwa. It seems to
ne that nothing more practical in .'oad
'uilding could be suggested for the
'enefit Of Davis county people.
"Ottumwa is the metropolis of this
ection of Iowa. Some day the state
Will have great highways radiating in
many directions from the state capital
o all the larger cities of Iowa. These
will be as spokes. with Des Moines as
he hub Now these smaller cities in
he course Of time will become hubs
With spokes extending to all the
county seats in their section. Some
lay this Ottumwa- Bloomfield road will |
lave W Ue DullI IL we LdNe pdlI Ill |
his system Of long-distance high
ways and keep pace with the rest Of
owa. Why not build it now as we'll as
| year or several years from now? |
eff some of the most influential |
armers along the proposed route to
0ttumwa would call meeting OF all |
he residents along the line and form
In organization for the purpose Of |
united effort much could be accom-
olished with but little expense in |
lime, LABOR or money. This organiza-
ion could be aub-divided into !
divisions for local work, but all work |
:ogether on long distance projects.
II suggest that the road officers of
Cleveland township meet and form |
heir local organizations: that Soap |
Creek do the same and then that they |
meet later with the people from Wa |
oello county and finish up the work
1T seems to me that there should
oe county organization for the bet !
:erment. of the public highways. If it
lid nothing except to keep up the en-
;husiasm of the good roads spirit it
would be worth having. would like |
% see Davis county progressive and
lp-to-date as we'll as some of the other |
iowa counties.
Lets have a few suggestions on
he city library and the farmers CO.
operative union that we are going to
and let's everyone pull to-
sether and get Davis county started
forward. 1t is old enough to begin to
amount to something
4 NJ YAAAAYXI