Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-03-01
SHOWING THEIR HAND.
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[ Davenport

davenport !HieS.I
The bridge contractors. supply men
and others who have anything to GO
with furnishing materials for road
work or bridge work under the pres
ent system Of letting contracts. appear
to be getting busy i'll opposition 10
the agitation for road construction IN
iowa that will be under the super
vision of a central and expert author
ity.
At a meeting alleged to be for the
purpose Of boosting good roads, held
recently in Boone. Iowa, resolutions
We're presented declaring. among other
things:
We lament that after men have sac
riiced time and money, often donating
OF their best efforts many times. fnat
there should be 50 little appreciation
of their work, and that they should be
denounced as boneheads by those VINO
never gave anything II time or money
and whose stock in trade now is 10
decry the work OF the county SUPER
visorS and township trustees, and ask
that they be allowed to show how the
business should be managed, instead
of by good example showing how the
work should be done
There can be but one purpose in q
de ciaration OF that Kind. and that pur-
pose is to create prejudice, fan jea'-
cusy and promote hatred for those
who have been advocating Il revision
of the laws 10 relieve supervisors of
q work for which they themselves will
admit they have received no special
training.
The demand for change is not
based on the assumption that all SUI
pervisors are dishonest. not at all. TIC
fact that certain supervisors at Clin-
ton were compelled To disgorge some
thing like $4,000 that mad been i'm
properly paid out of the county funds.
is an incident OF the present system.
but NOT proof that there is a waste
of money everywhere. The point is
that il is easier for contractor for
bridge materials, for instance, to get
higher prices. on an aYerag e. BY deal
ing with many boards than when deal
ing with one board that can afford to
employ experts 10 study qualities OF
materials, piarA Of construction and
the like and VITO can stay on a joo
and insist that the specifications Of
the contract be carried out 10 the let
ter.
Here is another paragraph from
these Boone resolutions:
we 90 not object TO being taxed
for good roads, but we do object TO any
law that will TAX US and not give US
power to say no. the money shall be
spent
That very thing is being done in the
state of Iowa over and over again. The
board OF control. the board Of educa-
ton. the executive council and other
departments OF state government are
spending money secured by taxation
and the counties are not allowed to
dictate, except thru the legislature. how
that money shall be spent. The sys-
tenn has been found effective and is
generally approved
Instead OF attacking those who are
advocating good roads and who are
making suggestions, il will be the bet
ter part Of wisdom for those who claim
the present system is the best TO get
OUT the facts ana figures. SHOW VIA;
is spent, what is done, the prices paid
ard the experts employed. If the
present system is good. it ought 10 be
easy TO convince any body OF men by
presenting the kind of data that a
business man demands when prop
osition is presented TO him.
Road building ought not TO be d
matter of politics. 1t is business
matter from star, 70 Finish. Eti Tia
people in any county who let bunch
of contractors lead their supervisors
around by the nose and set them to
take the lead in good roads meetings
such as that held at Boone. Iowa. are
having the WOOL pulled over their
eyes.
Perhaps we all thought the present
system of road building was good
when il was devised, and It probab!!
did ft the conditions then prevailing.
but times change, and newspapers.
realizing that only fools and dead men
do not change their minds. have been
appealing to the people of Iowa to view
the road problem just as they would
view any other business undertaking
The people Of Iowa must put brains
not prejudice, into road building Ii
they wish TO reduce the expense OF
marketing the products of the farms
This is an era of transportation devei-
opnent, and while the steam and cleo
trio lines arg adding facilities every
where the construction OF good roads
remains where it has been for years