Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-09-10
BARKING at PROGRESS

When Mr.. Winslow or any other
farmer believes that the public press is
subsidized 10 favor policy of public
Improvement which now prevails in
every state east of the Mississippi river
as well as In Minnesota Missouri and
! California he displays a degree of ig-
norance which would not entitle him to
a considerable hearing In print but in
his opposition to the idea Of paved
country road he represents a very large
number of fair minded citizens who
have not yet been convinced
The trouble with Mr.. Winslow is
that he is scared before he is hurt.
Paved roads can't be built with bond
issues until n majority of the people
vote the bonds. Boards of supervisors
were generally opposed to the highway
law until they tried it out and then
they changed their minds about IT.
Winslow will not change his.
More than LOCO men. and most of
them farmers, met at the republican
state convention and declared that the
only way TO finance public road i'm
provements was 10 permit counties to
spread the expense over a period OF
years by means of bond issues just as
they now finance court houses and
! lieved that the people Of the counties
would be progressive enough to gravel
their roads and pave some of them II
they could do it without burdensome
taxation. The delegates to that con-
vention. at least. were not Subsidized
Every state in the union except Iowa
Georgia and one other now build roads
with bond issues and 1t is about time
the taxpayers of Iowa Quit sinking their
good money in the mud
If MI Winslow would get posted as
TO the experience OF farmers and land
owners In other states he would dis
| cover that wherever roads have been
paved the squealing is always done by
the farmers on some other road who
want theirs paved too. 1t would be the
same in Wright county. Every mile OF
the present county road system could
, be graveled and paid for in ten years
or 1t could even be paved and paid for
in thirty years without increasing the
present county road tax except that the
| lands abutting the hard surfaced roads
and those nearby would have a small
assessment for the special benefit they
would receive. The tota! cost fer in
terest charge and sinking fund would
be $i20 per annun per mile Of improved
road. Half OF this could be paid from
the present county road tax. The other
half spread over the farms within a
mile and a half of the road would cost
$50 paving tax for a quarter section
with half mile of frontage on paved
| or grayeled road $12 for the farm next
back and SO for the farm across the
road on the next section line whose
buildings would probably be within one
mile Of the improved road.
The purpose Of a bond issue is to
make permanent improvements pos
sible without burdensome taxation.
With a bond issue q mile OF paved road
can be had at cost Of 1920 per year
which would cost $500 without the
bonds and If the bond plan of finance
were used a majority of the voters
would have TO vote for the project be-
fore the roads could be built.
The Times Republican is always glad
to welcome discussion OF the ROAD
problem for it respects the opinions of
those who do not agree with the pol
icies this newspaper advocates but the
correspondent who is so bigoted as to
suspect this newspaper of being sub
sidized" will get no more liberation
| than we would were we to call every
| farmer VINO disagreed with us a skin
| flint. a backnumber or hayseed. Men
| can disagree as to public policies with
out being dishonest-Ed.]