Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-28
PASS RESOLUTION OPPOSING
HARp-sURFAcED ROADS AND
STATE COMMISSION.
WARM DISCUSSION
FOLLOWS RESOLUTION
Charge is Made That Resolution Pass
ed Showed Influence Of Bridge Com.
panies Which Were Opposed to State
mmiss;on-Th,s Charge Holly De-
nied BY Ex Supervisor N. o. Keen.

! ship trustees in Marshall county are
, opposed to any part of the good roads
| movement which will take away from
township officials authority over roads
! by creating state highway commits
sion. This was the result of test
vote in the meeting of township trus-
tees held in the Colonial theater Thurs
day afternoon when there were only
five trustees who voted for it, the
others being absent. AS soon as the
illustrated lecture was concluded E. G.
Buck, trustee from Melbourne, sprang
a list of resolutions which had been
prepared at a small caucus at which
| En- Supervisor n. .. Keen had taken
an active part. The resolutions ia
Nored draining the roads, building per-
manent culverts, endorsed road drag
ging and a county engineer. but were
silent as to a state commission, or
state aid, declared against an inter
county system of roads, stated that
hard surfaced roads We're not born OF
farm needs, favored trustees having
! charge of road money and included
personal endorsement of Representa-
| tive Brockway's supposed position on
the road question.
The resolution was referred to
committee before which Mr.. White, the
engineer from the state highway COM
i mission and Mr.. D. W. Norris, ,Jr., OF
! the Times Republican, appeared and
suggested a brief resolution which de-
! clared for a state highway commission,
! aid from the state in road building,
| and the building OF roads 10 def
mite plans which would conform to
! the best kind of construction as fast
as we could get to it. Trustee G. a.
| DeButts, also of Melbourne, was on
| the committee and insisted upon the
| caucus resolutions. B. F. Robinson,
/ who has been working to get the North
! Third avenue road graveed, stuck for
! the resolution suggested by the Ames
engineer and Mr. Norris because he
did not want hard surfaced roads con-
demned The result was the Buck res
| olution being reported as majority
report and the other one as minority
report and the majority report was
adopted.
White Defends Corn mission.
F. r. White, the engineer from the
state commission. rose to defend the
commission. He made the statement
that the tenor of the resolutions was
the same as in many other resolutions
that had been introduced at other
meetings OF trustees which he had at
| tended, and that the influence inspiring
| them was the bridge building firms of
| Iowa. White asked the Trainer of the
resolution to appear and defend II,
| which brought \. O. Keen to his feet
to say that he saw the resolutions
written and that any man who would
say that they had been written by a
bridge company was liar.
Trustees Prepare Resolution.
During the discussion j. r. Howard,
CT Liberty township, admitted that he
had written the resolutions to accom-
lnodate a group Of trustees and others
who met in the court house during the
forenoon. Howard said that they did
not express his ideas exactly but that
what were contained had been sug-
gested by the trustees present.
Norris For Minority.
Mr.. Norris then spoke for the minor
ity resolution which he and Mr.. White
had favored, explaining that state
highway commission was necessary tc
assist county boards of inexperienced
road builders in he best engineering
work, that state aid was success IN
thirty states in the union and should
be endorsed He said that the Buck
resolutions declared against hard sur
faced roads of any kind which tins
others denied was its intent but Mr.
Norris read the statement in which
! their resolution declared that marc
surfaced roads were rot born OF farm
needs and he insisted that no mar
could mistake it's meaning. He sac
, that Mr.. Brockway was giving more
, promise of being right on the rodt
, question than the Teactionary town
ship trustees were but that no en-
2 dorsement was in place until he hat
, demonstrated where he stood and Mr.
Norris said that an effort to endorse
BrockWay, a southern Iowa man il
Marshall county. was inspired by thu
belief that he was favoring decentrai
izine power over road monies. Norris
: said the resolutions We're loaded am
should be voted down. He said tina
. there had been no county seat plan o
roads proposed that the bill provided
. for county supervisors taking charg
of main Travelled roads which woult
include roads near Melbourne as wei
as near Marshaltown. He said tina
r state aid had proved a great stimuli
e to better road building.
k Mr. DeButts had argued to the com
T mittee that he did not want any stat
= aid because Marshalltown would bull
a good roads first and draw trade from
s Melbourne. Mr.. Buck refused to accep
Il an endorsement of a state commissio
s because he did not think the Deopl
a wanted any hard surfaced roads i
: Iowa He was opposed to state aid be
: cause it would induce people in tn
'. counties to levy more taxes in orde
* to get the aid from the state.
!, The sentiment Of the trustees Wa
that they were opposed to any oper
= alton being performed upon them 10
n the removal Of any part OF their au
d thority over road monies an the Buc
,r resolution carried.
st White Talks Of Roads.
lie White gave an interesting and in
= structive talk on how to build an
RI maintain earth roads. His subject wa
1T illustrated with great many stereor
1e ticon views showing how the work wa
10 done in various counties of the stat
TO He strongly advocated grading ii
In roads so that they would drain wei
and maintaining bitches along bot
sides that would readily carry Off tt
y, surfaca wafer It was his opinion thu