Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-08
ROAD BUTCHERING."

iIleetlIl5 i ueSudy Stdleu tlldl lIe HSWS-
pa pers were largely to blame for the
criticism that has been directed at
public officials who have been looking
after some of the road work in the
county. If the criticisms that newspa-
pers have made Of road work in this
county had not IN the main been just
ihed the people would not take any
stock in them. If the people have been
influenced thru these criticisms and
have passed then, along it is evident
that the criticisms were justified. The
fact is there has been Il good deal of
road work done and paid for in this
county that those who did it and re-
ceived pay for doing it owe the tax
payers a term in jail. 1t hasn't been
road building but it has been plain
road hutchering. The quickest way to
thru public CRITICS or otherwise kick
the fellows off the job who are doing
it, This kind OF road butchering used
10 be the rule while now it is only the
exception and the change for the be-
ter that is with US came largely thru
public demand and this paper during
the past ten years has tried to help do
its share 10 keep awake this demand
and 1t will keep on doing it.
THE HOUSE AND NEWSPAPERS.
Waterloo Courier]
The Iowa house of representatives
committed itself hopelesslv to a policy
of childishness when it got sore" yes
terday afternoon and flew 10 the de-
Tense of Chairman Brockway. of the
committee on roads. Ii cid what no
l.. 80. -l~,,l Il,
in any other state ever did when it I'M
bent its dignity to strike back at the
press criticisms being made on enc of
it's members.
The principle of the action of the
house was entirely American and
politically wrong 1t is the particular
privilege of the American press as dis
tinguished from that of the older ma
tons. that it be perfectly free to criti-
cize public officials so long as it does
not commit libel. Otherwise where
would our free institutions be? If i.
We're the conviction of prominent news
papers of the state that Chairman
BrockWay was reActionary in his road
doctrines. would the state legislature
expect the press 20 say nothing in pro-
test? Would this be the American way
Of doing things?
There are many editors in Iowa who
have studied thE road question for
many years. They have seen the mat
ter brought up time and again in leg
islature after legislature for decades.
They have seen the states about us
grab the bull by the horns and do some
thing toward certain and assured i'm
provement They have noted the secret
of success in those states which have
they note the chairman of the roads
committee of the Iowa house of repre-
sentatives dra wing back to the same
old know nothing and do nothing pol
icy. repeating the farce Of waste and
reaction while the rival states about
us march onward. would the editors OF
Iowa be loyal to the good old state if
they did not protest.
The Courier is one of the newspapers
which has criticised the policy of Chair
man BrockWay and proposes to do so
while he is in power unless he changes
his mildewed and reactionary views on
the roads question. The Courier has
seen enough Of the continued perform
ance of procrastination There is only
one proper way for legislatures or pub
lie officials Of any kind to answer crit
icism and that is to heed it favora ply
If honest and intelligent or to ignore
it if It is dishonest and unwise. The
latter sort of criticism dies natural
death but the former goes marching on
and wins public sentiment while legis-
latures are being forgotten