The Mankato free press., 1914-03-27

They are surcharged with manifold
benefits for those who take. part in
them. sa -
Reason For Gathering.
The assemblage today was held
under the auspices of the Mankato
Commercial and Automobile clubs.
Town officers were invited to come,
partake OF dinner and listen to pa.
pers on good reads. etc. The dinner
was well prepared and nicely served
by the ladies OF the Christian church.
About 200 people were at the tables.
Following the dinner. the addresses
we're delivered, County Commits
sioper John. H., Hohmann presided as
POSTMASTER introducing the speakers
with appropriate remarks. He refer.
red to the road. building. in Blue
Earth county in the past five years.
Judge Cray was introduced and
explained the Elwen road Jaw. The
judge in Opening his taTk said that
the first road to be built in this
county undeF the ElwellEIaw was the
Good Thunder road
THE first step which must be TAX
en- under the Elwell law Is to have
a petition signed by freeholders on
the road, presented to county COM
missioners. II they approve, the
road must be surveyed and the re-
port of the surveyor approved by the
commissioner and the state highway
commission. Then, the taxation is
made.
The state pays one-half the cost.
the county one fourth and the prop
erty owners one-fourth.
"The appraisers Of the taxation
should be men of good sound iudg.
ment. It is their sworn duty to go
over the route and decide how much
the property along It, and the nearby
property, is benefited by It. The
engineer should survey the roads
wide enough We must have them
wider than many of the present roads
are. 'a-
"You ought to be sure that the
bidder who gets the contract for
building the road gets enough so
that you can insist that it is prop.
erly done. ''r'' a
"Ten years. is given the property
owners to, pay the assessments.
"The principal advantages of i'm
proving roads under this law are
these: The state pays one-half the
cost, one-fourth by the county and
one-fourth by the property owners
The Elwell takes the place of the
system by which a few men do all
the work"
Another feature of the meeting was
the singing OF d. NJ. Jones. The
gathering late this afternoon went
to the g Grand and T'heaEsr where it was
Attorney yy,e, 4, viii wfihh,j5f ,Ijsf Minneapolis
spoke on nconviet hpbpr." 81.
Mr.. VIII, maintained that work
ing conyictsl on the highways had
proved an unqualified success in
other states and he could see no
reason why the plap should not
prove likewise in Minnesota. Mr..
win declared that the Mexican sit.
uation sank into insignificance as
compared with the road problem in
this country ~ Working conyicts on
the roads is a good . thing for the
roads and the prisoners. ....
Thtse From, the Country. rs.
The foifdSing were In attendance
from the country: 1880, ...s-
J. w. Hghhann;; EsRslby; F. E. OF.
terstein, na.LoyelL George Hof.
;meister, Sicily: NJ. E. .Runke, G. e.
Sellers, 'oBestifordF Vim. Eberhart,
Rapidan; aii9T. o fFfitierer, VIM. Ham.
an, Beauford; Simon Day, Amboy;
Ed Thompson, Danvilie; Z. o.-olson.
,Medo; II. o. Grimes, Danville; NJ
J. Mullen, Mapleton; Henry Torger.
son, Lincoln; Bob Dagner, Danville;
Fred Haman. Danyille; r. e. Hicks
Sterling; John c, Stroebel, Mapleton; !;
d.. L. Williams. Cambria, b. ID.
Hughes, J. Il. Lloyd, Cambria; Albert
Urban, G. H. Urban, Pleasant Mound
e. N. Jones, Lake, Crystal; ID. Gus
tafson. Jdds6n; Dan, Williams, South
Bend: w II. Nelson. ,Judsoni II. p
strom, lincoln; Richard Jones
South Bend; Amund Flo, C. II
Matzke, Rapidan; II. Clausen. Medo;
w. J. Murphy, and SON., MACPHERSON
d.. E. Crane South Bend; Henry
.Schwarz, Vernon Center; A. M
schneeberger. Pleasant Mound; VII
liam Rathr. Decoria; w. A. Just
Rapidan;., Efan j. Davis. Lake Crys
tai; Martin, Bowe, August Thrun, DE
coria; I. F. Mills. Garden City;
George Lang, Mapletnn; +. l.. Cooper
Vernon Center: Knute Peterson
John Stevens. Garden City; NJ. A
Benedict, Lyra; John Markston
Butternut: VIM. II. Compton. Eagle
Lake; J. C. Kelly. Vernon Center;
James Mountain. Lyra: F. ]. Fas
nacht. Jamestown; Thomas Jones
Butternut; John Anderegg. lie Ray
+. II. Barnes, @. Z. Francis. Vernon
Center; C. C. Fraheis, Ceresco; c