The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-10-13
GOOD ROADS
of President Parmley at
Good Roads Meeting
in Redfield

Redfeld, Oct. f3.-At the opening
Of the second annual meeting of the
South Dakota Good Roads association,
held in this city Friday, President
Parmley explained that it was not tie
plan to have long speeches or papers
but that ii was the intention to make
the meeting q convention in which all
god roads advocates present were in
vited, urged and expected to take
part.
In q ten minutes talk he reviewed
the work in the state during the past
year. In speaking Of the legislation
accomplished through the efforts Of the
association he said that while it was
far from what was hoped and worked
for 1t was a long step forward, and
urged greater endeavor. he expressed
the wish that strong men elected to
the legislature who we're road enthusi.
asts, would study the question lin the
light of recent legislation In the more
progressive states and formulate a law
suiting South Dakota conditions,
founded upon the most advanced and
workable laws of other states. This
he thought would be much more sat
i~sfactory than to have so-called lobby
lists looking after such legislation.
Referring to the accomplishments
of the Good Roads Association during
the past year, he explained that
through its workings the law Of the
preceding session was amended 90 ms {,
make it more simple and workable.
The present motor vehicle law is
proving a success and justices the as
ISOLATION in its effort to obtain such
q law. The law was modelled after
that of the state of Iowa and already
in the different counties a fund of con-
siderable dimensions has been created
from license fees. The criticisms,
whatever criticism there mas been,
has come from two sources-one the
man who will in the next thousand
years never do a stroke of volunteer
work on the road and who begrudges
the registration fee paid, although the
same goes directly to a fund for bis
benefit. The other criticism, and the
more numerous, is that the registration
fee is not large enough and that it
should be graduated according 10
value, age ur power all threshed out
in the Legislature and the present law
perhaps ONE nearer c%oinciding with
the views of all than any other pos
siLle law. The law providing for a
non -sa laried, nonpsrtisan highway
nn.fr M soafnv uuoo aaao1afn1 M that
there 10 not very much to it other than
an enthusiastic, overworked highway
commission that is creating public SEN
timent and doing great service for
better methods and better roads with.
out money and without price. We
wanted state aid and a fund with
which the highway commission could
accomplish something similar to the
work done in state-sid states but our
goal was not reached. The machine
went into the ditch but the pennant
still waves and the wheels go around.
The other machine was in the way and
We couldn't pass it. ! am not a
prophet or the son of a prophet but /
make this prediction, "The taxation
of all property for highway purposes,
state aid and state highway commits
sion, in fact as we'll as name, will
be an accomplished fact in South Da-
kota as well az nearly every state in
the union within the next ten years"
We failed absolutely in getting a
law providing for prison labor on high
ways. While convicts in other states
are building great roads and saving
hundreds of thousands of dollars, our
prisoners are inhsling tuberculosis
germs and doing business at the old
stand at 80 cents per day, making
shirts in competition with honest labor.
You and / are still paying two to four
dollars per day for men less skilled
than these to work in our fields and
on u highways at healthful em-
ployment and are even allowing them
to boss the job in order to keep them,
and at the same time we are board
ing, housing, clothing (and we ought
to be attempting to reform,) two
hundred of our able bodied mep, our
wards, at an expense of so cents per
day and selling their labor for 80 cents.
There is not an automobile in Red
field today that can go fast enough to
keep you patient listeners out Of the
way of the sheriff if you conducted
| your private business in the same
way this state business is managed.
These were some of the things ac-
complished and some which fell by
the way. / see 40 reason for change
of campaign. ! am more than ever
convinced that South Dakota needs a
recast of her road and bridge laws
and in addition to those now in force
wa should have state aid, q workable
highway commission Law and convict
i L. k.nhuunna