New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-07-22

| OPPNS>A w SAA~ O~>o~N
you are an oppos.ent and become
a booster for Rural Highway No. 81.
Continued from first page.)
thru the Town Of North Star would cost
approximately $4,000, that the property
owners would be called upon to pay only
$4,000 of this amount and that when this
road is completed they will have road
which can be used rain or shine and that
it would not be necessary as is now the
case, to postpone funerals on account of
rainy weather and muddy roads. He
predicted chat it would be only short
time before this road would be designated
as federal post road and receive enough
aid from the federal government to keep
it in the best of repair. He showed that
of the GIG autos in the county, 1922 belong
to farmers and 294 to people who reside
in the villages and cities, thus weakening
the argument that this road is being built
for the city chaps because they own the
automobiles. He also showed how people
living in the villages and cities are called
upon to pay assessments for sidewalks
and streets which are used by the public.
in general and even by the farmers when
they come to town. He showed where he
had been called upon to pay $125 for
assessments for sidewalks in the village of
Comfrey and stated that he personally
had walked on that sidewalk but very
few times since it was built some years
ago. He believed that the people inthe
municipalities and in the Towns should
cooperate and that the farmer in; this
case should be willing to pay a little
money out of their own pockets for good
roads even if they should occasionally be
used by some of their city cousins. He
pointed to the fact that Lyon and Red
wood Counties have already given the
contract for their part Of the Yellowstone
Trail and that Brown County should have
pride enough to follow suit. He also made
it clear that if the County Commission
ers should refuse to lay out the road that
four of their farmer friends would be
called upon to pay the expense which
has so far arisen and which is estimated
to be in the neighborhood of $2000.0O.
In Mr.. Erickson's opinion there are not
to exceed 600 property owners who are
affected by these assessments and he
maintained that those who did not show
up at the hearing at all could be right
fully classed as among those who favor
the road. It could fairly be assumed
that all those who oppose the road had
put in an appearance and from the
sho wing thus made, it would appear that
the great majority of those who will
eventually have to pay the assessments
favor the establishment Of the road.
William G. Frank of Springfield stated
it is his positive conviction that by the
establishment of this road the value Of
the farms adjacent thereto will be
materially enhanced and gave it as his
opinion that if politics had not entered
into the affair there would be considerably
less opposition.
L. E. Potter, the bonanza farmer from
North Star straddled the question. He
declared himself in favor of good roads,
but at the same time said he disliked the
tactics that had been employed and
strenuously objected to anything that
savored of having been railroaded thru.
Others who expressed themselves favor
ably to good roads were Ed. Berkner who
owns over 900 acres that will be assessed
and who expressed willingness to have
his assessment doubled if necessary and
[ Tom Peterson of Golden who expressed
willingness to pay an additional $1OO to
| the amount he is already assessed.
Those VINO talked against the road
we're Mike Bates, Peter Herstrom who
expressed his intention of fighting the
road to the last ditch, II. G.. Hillesheim
who critizcd the petition from Sleepy
Eye and said something about the poor
/! farmer being overtaxed and Jim Could
who took a fall out Of the Springfield
1 boosters and told them to build their
village roads SO that farmers would not
get mired, before they go out shouting for
a road to be paid for by the farmers.
Richard Mielke, Gust Kersten, Henry
Dohrmann, Hermann Voge, Franz Wan
dersee and Ernst Rolloff also voiced their
sentiments against the road.
Shortly after 5 o'clock, the Board took
a recess until z o'clock. At the evening
meeting, the report Of the viewers was
more thoroly canvassed and after making
few changes, it was adopted by un-.
| animous vote.