Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-06
WHY IOWA LAGs.

| Every member OF tho Iowa legisla-
4 ture has at one time voted for and
induced his neighbors to vote for .
is per cent railroad tax. A per
cent tax IS a per cent tax. anu ire
uuently harder to pay when the total
| is small than when it Is large. How
many stop to figure now what per
cent tax would come to in Iowa? Sub
! stantially 350.00O.000. Suppose Iowa
were to vote a per cent tax now a.
every ambitious town once did vote.
and connect all the county seats with
brick road.
How can anybody be blind to the
fact that Iowa is falling behind IN
this matter OF roads. and falling be-
hind a, rate that will make 1t din.-
cult to overtake such states as Ohio.
or not to 20 so far east rs Ohio. to
overtake our immediate neighbors,
Illinois. Wisconsin and Minnesota!
| 1t is Mr.. Kaleys business in Cleve-
land to route many thousands Of
western tourists. Today they are be-
ing routed over the Lincoln highway.
But Mr.. Haley says there Is q
marked disposition to go thru IN
dianapolis and over the southern
route across Missouri to Kansas City,
and so west. Suppose the Lincoln
highway should be slippery during
most Of the summer as it may readily
be? How long will Iowa be In the
main line OF travel?
And yet every intelligent man
knows that this Lincoln highway Is
more important to the Iowa OF the
future-it is more important to De
on the main wagon road east ana
west-than the great transcontinental
railroads were to Iowa forty years ago
than being on the main lines OF
railway travel, when railway travel
pretty nearly determined the whole
matter Of growth and prosperity. The
past forty years have been the years
OF the railroad. The coming forty
years are TO be the years Of the wagon
road. For Iowa to have won every
main transcontinenta wagon road
would be the shortsightedest thing
ever done by an intelligent COM
munity.
Here We are in Iowa seriously
debating abandoning state supervision
Of road making when there are only
seven other states in the union that
do not have state supervision. Here We
are In Iowa refusing to offer state AID
for roads, when thirty states are Al
ready at 1t, and in every one OF them
more is being done this year than was
done last. Does Iowa really want to
get into the list Of the tag enders!
Does Iowa really want to win reputa-
ton for muddy roads? Let US not In
dulse ourselves into the pleasing delu-
sion that we shall always have dry
summers. and delightful dirt roads.
There is a wet summer coming, ana
when 1t comes then we shall know just
how far the travel OF the country Will
go out OF Its way to avoid Iowa. !.
All Iowa today Is in the midst OF
a mud blockade. Farmers are To-Day
unable TO market their hogs. Farm
ers are today as effectually quar-
antined by bad roads as they are by
foot and mouth disease. For month
Iowa has been practically untravelable,
and that too after we have built the
hes, dirt grades that can be build. Why
are we blind to the facts OF the sit
uation, and why is Iowa, which has
more use for good roads, and can bet
ter afford good roads than any OF these
other states, making a virtue OF doing
nothing?
This legislature Il 1t passes Iowa
over for another two years will have
neglected the most responsible duty
that confronted 1t when It assembled.
The debate OF two years ago led to
LEGISLATION Of the most valuable sort.
The foundation was laid in public
opinion and in the statute books for
real progress. Why are we now hest
tatir9 about going forward? We are
risking nothing. The only risk we
run is II NE do nothing Going for
ward is the one sure course. why
are we not going forward? Why u
the important next step not being
takenf