The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1915-04-08
The BRIDGE COMBINE
1t Has Robbed the Taxpayers of Thous.
ands of Dollars in Every County +
of the State of Minnesota. -
Interesting Report of the House
investigating Commitee-..the
Remedy Suggested.

alhei, y. y. MaQlgan and Il. "A.
Lydlard. was appointed to ingesti-
gate the alleged bridge combine in
this state. Without any flourish of
trumpets the committee went quietly
to work and speedily unearthed
facts enough to prove, conclusively
that bridge combine has existed in
this state, and that such combine
has cost the taxpayers of every
county in the state thousands of dol
lars. The bridge combine has no
love for the state highway commits
slon-supervision of bridge building
by honest, practical and experienced
engineers is something that the
bridge combine does not want. A
large share of the opposition to the
highway commission is directly at
tributable to the bridge combine.
The petitions that were so freely cir.
culated at town meetings throughout
the state were prepared and paid for
by emissaries of the bridge combine.
That fact was so thoroughly under
stood that the stereotyped resolution
SO unthinkingly adopted at town
meetings did not deceive a single in
telligent member of the legislature.
The highway commission has never
attempted to rob any local board of
home rule. But it is not our purpose
to discuss that phase of the question
at this time. Suffice it to say that
the bridge combine would like to
have the old order of things contin-
ued. But the day has gone by when
the combine can charge two or three
prices for shoddy work with the con-
nivance of corrupt local boards.
A careful perusal of the subjoined
unbiased report will convince any in
telligent reader that there has been
a bridge combine in this state and,
like the text book combine, it has
coststke taxpayers many thousands
of dollars. The remedy suggested by
the, house committee is worthy of
careful consideration.
Hon. H. H. Flowers, Speaker of
the House of Representatives.
Pursuant to the resolution
adopted by the house on March 4th,
providing for the appointment of a
committee to investigate an alleged
combination of bridge contractors.
and the subsequent action of the
speaker of the house in appointing
the undersigned as such committee,
we respectfully submit the following
report:
At no time in the history of the
state has there been so widespread
interest in the public highways. and
at no time has there been so much
money expended thereon. If this
generosity upon the part of the tax
payers is to be continued, it is of the
highest Importance that there be a
fair return for the money expended ::
important to- the taxpayers as mat
ter of JUSTICE: important to the pub
lie who use the roads: important to
those who have the welfare and de-
velopment of our state at heart.
With the exception of our public
schools, there is perhaps no subject
of legislation in which all the people
are so intimately and closely con-
nected, as that concerning the public
highways of our state.
When we stop to consider that
there are in Minnesota upon the
public highways about 1000 bridges,
being one in each four and one-half
miles, estimated to have cost $780,
100000, we begin to realize the large
amount involved in bridge construc-
tion: and when we consider that in
the next twenty years, it will be
necessary to replace most of these
bridges, as we'll as to construct very
many others, at an aggregate ex-
pense estimated at $50, 1000, 900, we
begin to grasp the Importance to
the taxpayers Of keeping this work
out of the hands of a monopoly or
of contractors.
This committee has not called any
bridge contractors as witnesses. We
did not believe they could be ex-
pected to convict themselves. We
early decided that we did not wish
to be undertaking committee, and
that we were more concerned in the
future than with the past. We be-
lieved our efforts should be confined
more largely to remedying the evil,
if one exists, than to denouncing
those who may have been engaged in
questionable business practices with
township. village, city and county
authorities. We, therefore, pursued
the inquiry as to the alleged combi-