Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-23
IkGxN AssuaAGs RESPONSIBILITY.

KEEN AssuAaEs RGsPohsiBiLlTY
Editor Times Republican: In youl
issue Of Thursday. May 15. you give mi
the honor Of an editorial, headed. Sell
Interest Changes Ones Views" givinl
q synopsis Of my connection with the
good roads movement. Now for your
benefit and the reading public I will
give true statement or my connection
with it, and I will review each act OF
mine which has brought your displeas-
ure on me.
The first was when the board Of su-
pervisors Of which body I was q menu
Der, refused to raise the road levy at
your request after delegation had
called on the board a month after the
levy was made, figured out by the aud.
itor and placed on the TAX books. The
board. or at least l aid. explained the
reason for cutting the road levy from
five.tenths to one-tentn OF mill. 1t
was done because there was at that
time between seven and eight thousand
dollars in the road fund, and
five thousand in the automobile fund,
making with the collections for 1913
over $4,000 that the board would have
to spend on the roads in 1913. More
than double what had been spent in
any one year before, the facts which
YOU never gave the public when you
said the board had robbed the auto
mobile owners. The reason the cut was
made was so we could increase the levy
for general insane fund. which was in
the hole. l saw some Of the delegation
and they said that when
they understood the matter they
thought the board did right. was only
one of three. l pity the taxpayer OF
Marshall county if the time ever comes
that one man or set or men can die
tate to the board of supervisors what
the tax levy shall be.
Now the second offense was on ac-
count Of the interest | was supposed
to have taken in the trustee meeting
when the resolution drafted and passed
by them did not suit Mr. Norris or
Mr.. White: will give a true version OF
that affair. I was In MarshalltoWn
that day and in the court house about
10 o'clock. There were twelve or ft-
teen OF the trustees standing around,
talking on the good roads question.
Some one proposed that they get, up
set of resolutions to be presented to
the meeting in the AFTERNOON and asked
Mr.. Howard. of Liberty township. and
myself to draft them. So we went into
the auditors office and ] got him
paper and pencil and Mr. Howard wrote
he resolutions which caused so much
trouble at the meeting. After Mr.
Howard had written them he handed
h., he,
here was nothing in them that anyone
need be ashamed of. they scented to
oe simple and to the point ! told him
hat I thought they would be all right
so that was the amour. of work
lid in getting them up We did not for
, moment think Mr.. Norris would feel
sighted because we did not call on
him. He had the honor Of drafting the
-esolution for the Corn Belt Meat Pro-
iucers' Association. So in the after
loon I went down to the meeting, not
linking but that the trustees would
re allowed to present any resolutions
hat reflected their sentiments. when
0 and behold when Mr.. Buck got UP
md read the resolutions and moved
heir adoption. Mr. Norris got on his
eet and objected. Why he did 1t was
more than I could understand at the
Inc. l understood the meeting was
rrstees' meeting and l did not think
.nyone else had the right to interfere.
The trustees lie, him have his way and
committee on resolutions was app
pointed and the committee reported out
The resolution that Mr.. Buck intro
luced, altho Mr.. Norris and Mr.. White
vie IN inf RI RI 20
Then as they could not they sprang the
Id chestnut that the resolution was
GOTTEN up by some bridge. company. 1t
md lost my head and made use of an
that I was sorry for, but 1t
made me a little warm under the collar
o see the way the trustees were treat
ID. 1t lookd to me that 1t was re-
lection on their honesty and intelli-
sence to accuse them OF such a thing.
Now the last statement is in regard
o getting the LeGrand and Gilman
Dad county road. Now, the people
t LeGrand Dunbar and Gilman want
ID it as 81 county road. They thought
f there was any benefit in 1t they
hougft they were entitled to it and as
he report had gone out 1t was not 10
,e. they asked me when I went to Mar
halltown to find out. SO when / was
ip I asked the engineer and he did not
now. I also asked some OF the mer-
'hants that ran across. They referred
ne to Mr.. Moore. so I hunted up Mr.. |
ioore and he said he did not see that !
here was any need to change it. He |
ave me his reasons why he thought 1t
he best and l gave him mine. In the |
Meantime Mr.. Sawyer had taken a. pc
ition to Gilman and Mr.. Tweed one |
o Dunbar and Mr.. Condor one at Lee
;rand with the understanding that
vas to take them before the board, SO I
lid my part an had them filed with the !
uditor. When the board met 1 asked
hem if they were going to make the !
and Gilman road a county
DAD and they said yes. That is as
ar as my. entreaties with the board |
,ot. So far as self interest went 1t |
I'D not have anything to do with it. l |
lways put community interest before
elf interest.
y. O. KEEN.
NJ Kaan,e confAaion