Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1915-07-29
n. AND S. RAILWAY
PARTY ARRIVED
today
MASS MEETING TO BE HELD IN
ODD FELLOWS HALL
TONIGHT.
GOVERNOR ALEXANDER HERE
Commissioners and Governor Have no
Statement to Make as Yet as to
Conclusions and Plans.

Of the memb, rs of the party making
the trip from New Meadows along the
proposed line of the north and south
road, Governor M. Alexander, Senator
j. j. Day Of Latah County and Sena-
tor McBeth of Custer county arrived
in Grangeville this morning and the
rest of the party came up later for the
meeting which will be held at the opera
house this evening.
In the party are the three commits
'sioners appointed by Governor Alexan-
der, j. j. Day, A. +. Parker and E. A.
Paddock, the governor, State Engineer
Smith and Senator McBeth of Custer
county. Accompanying the party from
place to place are those who have been
chosen to meet the members as repre-
'sentatives of the different localities on
the trip.
The point of commencement ON the
trip was Mccall where the first meet
ing was held on Monday, and which is
the northern terminus of the Payette
road, one of the lines proposed for an
extension into North Idaho. From
there the commission went to New
Meadows and proceeded from place to
place along the route, reaching White
Bird Wednesday evening where the last
enthusiastic meeting was held before
the trip to Grangeville this morning.
In one thing at least the entire per-
sonnel of the party will agree and that
is the unanimity of the residents along
the route as travelled and at the places
visited in expressing hearty good will
for the efforts of the governor and
members of the commission in their be-
half and in the desire that north
and south wagon and automobile road
as well as rail road may some time IN
the future relieve the present isolation
of the country which would be directly
benefited.
AS Governor Alexander stated when
interviewed this morning, "Although
rail road is not yet even a possibilit,
and although the construction of the
road after completion of preliminary
preparations would consume consider
able time, yet it is possible and practi-
cable to construct an automobile and
wagon road whereby the north and the
south could be connected sufficiently
for the present SO that it would be
possible to travel from Grangeville to
New Meadows in five hours.
"The construction of the wagon
road,i' the governor asserted, ''can
and will be consummated without any
great cost and without any great en-
gineering feat He asserts that he
will put forth every effort in the work
of starting the construction of this pro-
posed highway and to cut down the cost
he proposes to utilize convict labor
as other states have done in building
splendid highways.
The governor considers the trip as
made as being at present an arduous
one and as he remarked, "I have felt
the necessity of the construction Of at
least wagon road for the present
means of travel make the trip exceeding
tiresoIhe.' - He further stated that of
course the construction of the wagon
road, even if convict labor was used,
would necessitate the raising of money
ard that if it was possible to use some
of the money in tho Carey act fund
that this would afford abundant means.
The propriety of this will be investi-
gated by the governor later.
As for the north and south railroad
that will necessarily have to follow the
completion of the wagon road but need
not delay the same. The difficulty Of
construction of the railroad along the
route outlined would be less than a
thousand other engineering feats in
building rail roads in the west. In fact
the general conclusions arrived at by
the governor and others who have con-
sidered the data supplied by authori-
ties who are competent to judge is that
the cost of construction of rail road
will not be excessive but very reason
able as there are no great obstacles