Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-27
GIVEN A HEARING
AT TAYLOR RIDGE
Good Roads Barn Stormers
Repeat Their Appeal
for Bonds.
WANT QUESTION VOTED ON
Ask People to Demand That County
Board Give Chance for Popu-
lar Verdict.

The people of Taylor Ridge and
vicinity were entertained by the Rock
Island county good roads barn storm
ers'' last evening, and while they
didn't, at least in the beginning, evince
any particular enthusiasm for the mil
lion dollar bond proposition, they at
least gave a respectful hearing to ar
guments in its favor and were given
something to take home and think
about.
Phil Mitchell, president of the Rock
Island County Highway Improvement
association, c. b. Marshall and S. w.
Searle were the speakers. Mayor NJ.
r. Carlson of Moline was expected to
take part but other duties prevented.
The Svea quartet sang, the Boy Scouts
bugle corps gave several numbers be-
fore the meeting and pictures of
roads. good. bad and Indifferent, which
have been exhibited elsewhere, were
shown, John Hauberg obligingly TAX
ing charge of this end of the program.
The meeting was held in the Wood
man hall.
As elsewhere the general appeal was
TO the people TO use their good Offices
with the members of the board of sup
ervisors to secure the submission OF
the bond question at the fall election.
1t was explained that, after years of
agitation and talking which arrived
nowhere. this association had been
formed to endeavor TO put through
some practical plan for permanent
road betterment to bring this country
up to the standard OF others with large
cities within their borders. The bond
plan was eventually decided upon as
the only one which could give the de-
sired results, good roads now" The
supervisors were asked to put the
question up to the people and had
fatty turned the request down. Mem
bers had taken the position that their
constituents were against such plan
and did not want to vote upon it.
Appeal to People.
Under the circumstances the only
thing to do was to appeal to the voters
themselves and ask that they at least
give the matter a fair hearing and in
sist that the supervisors give them
chance to settle the question one way
or the other. Hence the series of
meetings which are now being held.
II was Mr. Searle who offered this
explanation He said he had lived in
Scott county, across the river. and
had seen the result of the road i'm
provement which has been done there
For miles out of Davenport intensive
farming is the rule and this has been
made possible by the fact that hard
roads give an opportunity to market
produce at all times of the year. Scott
county farmers, when dirt roads are
bad on this side of the river and Rock
Island county farmers are unable to
get to market with heavy loads even
come across the bridge and dispose of
produce in Rock Island and obtain
the very top of the market. Seeing
these things the speaker. when he
became a resident of Rock Island.
naturally allied himself with the move
ment to give farmers of this county at
least an even break in the matter of
highways with the competing farmers
across the river.
One need not go farther than Scott
county to learn the effect of road inn
provement upon land values. property
within a reasonable radius of Daven-
port being held at considerably higher
figures than that an equal distance
from Rock Island and Moline
Building hard roads requires money
and the problem of finance Is the first
one TO be considered. Phil Mitchell
was elected head of the association
because. as a banker, he was in posi-