Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-03-11

tlemen assembling in the green room
Of the Commercial club, although you
are very prone to forget that, and
treat them as II they were Russian
peasantry created for you to expert
ment on them.
Let US suppose we had state law
creating the office Of state highway
commissioner, to be appointed by the
governor, he to be a practical engin-
eer and construction man, and to get
not over $4,000 a year. Let us suppose
It were proposed to construct state
highway from Portland to Seaside, or
from The Dalles to Prineville, or from
Salem to Portland, or from Ashland
to Klamath Falls-not all Of these
roads at once, but just one Of them.
The people Of the two counties or
three counties asked by petition to
have this state highway built, sent up
map showing the route. The state
highway commissioner examined 1t,
went over the route, and decided
there were people enough, wealth
enough, and travel enough to justify
the construction, and 80 reported to
the governor or state board They
approved of the route, and the COM
missioner made a survey, an estimate
OF the cost Of construction, and re-
ported what proportion Of the expense
the counties through which the state
highway was to be built should bear
Of the total expense. For be it known
that any state highway will enrich
and benefit the whole state but pri-
marlly will 1t enrich and benefit the
counties through which 1t extends,
and In proportion to their traffic
should they pay toward the original
construction-be that ten per cent or
fifteen per cent or twenty-five per
cent Of the whole traffic that goes
over the state highway For instance
a state highway from Portland to Sea-
side would add millions to the value
of property in Multnomah county, Co
lumbia and Clatsop counties, and the
state at large would be benefited by
the construction Of such a highway.
The highway commissioner under my
supposed law should estimate the
probable county traffic compared to
the whole traffic, and report to the
state board what proportion each
county should pay, and when his re-
port Is accepted and the counties
pledge themselves to pay their part of
the cost Of construction, the state
could go ahead and build the state
highway.
Let us suppose in order to get this
idea more clearly into our neurological
equine intellects that this 100 miles
of state highway from Portland to
Setside would cost 100000, and that
It would be proper, based on the traf-
fic for Multnomah county to pay 25
per cent of the cost of It through this
county, Columbia county ten per cent
Of the cost through that county, and
Clatsop county fifteen per cent Of the
cost Of the highway through that
county. Now II the state highway fol-
lows county highways already con-
structed that can be utilized as part
Of the state highway, let the county
have credit for money already expend-
ed on such construction, and deduct
II from what the county is called on
to pay BY doing that we would re-
spect the equities Of the case and keep
out of the hands Of the kicker and
the knocker on the county court, and
the hired petitioner with the referen-
dun could not have such free and
easy sailing to put us out Of business.
When the equities Of the matter had
been adjusted in a fairly intelligent
and buslnesslike way the state would
accept the highway as state high
way and go ahead and build It through
from Portland to Seaside, and forever
Afterwards maintain It by patroling
the state highway Just as a railroad
is cared for by section hands. This
work could be done by elderly men
who cannot any longer do big hard
days work, and are not ready to be-
come a county charge, or by prisoners
from the state or county prisons,
The governor should be given au-
thority to employ state convicted men
and to use county prisoners, under
the direction and control of the state
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