Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-05
TOO EXPENSIVE TO WAIT.
Davenport Times.l

,
TOO EXPENSIVE TO WAIT.
Davenport Times.1
The people OF the state OF Iowa nave
been experimenting with the present
laws for the control and maintenance
Of highways for number OF years.
They have spent over s25.oo0oOo for
roads, and last year they took OUT OF
their pockets s1,000,oo0 ana poufeu II
thru the county offices. under the
nagement of supervisors, IN the
hope of'getting better roads
Is there anyone, not financially IN
terested in the present system, WHO
wishes seriously to defend II:
Oh, yes, there are many persons
who are opposed 20 any kind OF chahse
because they are afraid something un
foreseen win happen. They are Gnu
dren afraid OF the dark. But the men
who think are different. They are
beginning to see the need OF puttins
all this money that Is raised FOR roaos
in the hands of body of experts
competent to get results with IT,
The best plan will be to form
commission and make a plan covering
q definite term OF years so that "o4
can be carried on systematically anu
definitely without any of the MT OF
miss extravaganza that has charic-
terized road work in Iowa IN othef
years.
The goal should be permanent roads
The first work should prepare the way
for ultimate permanent roads. 1hefe
has been too much fixing Tor the
; time being-untii the next hea@s .'he
| or the next winterbcomes along.
| A good road is a; matter OF expert
! engineering The ,haphazard way ol
+! doing the work in the past Is TOO e@-
pensive. The legislature OF Iowa
should he encouraged by every iafh'e'
and every town resident to 90 some
thing that will prevent the waste Oh
public money that is drawn from peo-
ple's rockets as road funds, and make
sure that this money shah be ecoho!h-
ically applied to the purpose intenoeo
and that the results shall be perrna-
nent. W
A WORD WITH Mr.. BROCkW-A +.
lDes Moines Register and LeadeT.j
When Mr.. Brockway chose the
craftsmanship OF the roads committee
| in preference to another leading CHAIR
manship which Speaker Cunningham
had in mind, The Register and
Leader inclined to the hopeful we"
that he saw in that position an oppor-
tunity 70 lead in a great progressive
movement for the state.
Mr. BrockWay is a young man. he
has native ability and the experience
of one term in the legislature. lie
is a large land owner. He above all
! others should come to any proposition
to Pat Iowa in the lead among western
states in the things that go 10 make
| rural life more attractive at least with
open mind. What. then, is to be said
/, for such q letter as the following. writ
f! ten in advance OF any hearings before
his own committee and in evident
! want of information of what is being
done in near by states?
! Mr.. B-ockway's letter is addressed
! to George Long of the Manson Jour
nal, and reads:
/ Your letter of the 23d received
| Thanks for your appreciation. Some
OF the editors OF the papers advo-
eating hard roads have been hitting
me pretty hard am glad to know
that all the editors do not agree with
| them. 1T is not auto roads, nut peo-
! p!c's roads that we need. we need
/ to spend our money where the most
; people can get most good OF 1t. No
more taxes. but q better distribution
OF state funds I have no objection
TO .,er.canect roads, hut l do objec'
| to putting hard roads on premature
! foundations I think that the present
advocates Of hard roads Will have te
multiply their figures with about ter
before they will look right
If there were nothing else to con-
denim such a statement from a mar
in high official position. the evident
attempt to prejudice the good ROADS
movement by contrast between
"autornobile" and peoples" roads
would be enough. Every intelligent
man knows that road that Is soot
farmer, and that a good road for the
farmer, and that good raod for the
farmer Is good for the automobile
and tn any event now that half the
automobiles are owned by farmers
and that in the future the automo'
bile will be just as much macnin'
for the farm as the corn plow; 1t i!
absurd as we'll as vicious to attempt
to appeal to an old prejudice.
| Mr.. Brockway talks about puttini
permanent roads on premature foun
dations. his point being that the stat
should grade and prepare the roas
beds for surfacing and then leave tn
surfacing to some future time. Tner'
Is not a man in the state who - 8!
Ignorant Of road building that ne VII
not see at q glance the folly OF grad
ing and preparing roads for parma
nent surfacing and then leave then
even for one season TO rut up an
get out Of condition. CAUSING most
the work to be done over again.
Mr.. Brockway paSsA1 every @!
over six blocks Of pavement IN De