The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-05-14
DUNN MADE ADDRESS
BEFORE THE AUTO|sTS.
From Tuesdays Daily.

would rather have IL said AFTER
my death that I was something OF
a factor for the production OF good
roads. than that I was governor OF
the state" said Senator Robert {.
Dunn Of Princeton at last nights
banquet Of the MankatO Automobile
club Ia the dining room Of the saul
paueh hotel. 1t would he more Of an
honor. Under the road law Of mine.
because have wished To work for
good roads. | am going To fight for
good roads as long as ] live. And
there Is no class Of people that can
do more To help along the cause OF
good roads than the automobile peo-
as amended by the last legislature, |
expect u see the roads of the state
vastly improved within the next five
wears. have been going TO the leg
Islature. not from motive Of poliu-
cal ambition. for ! have none, nut
pie.
Il rode about your city today with
your president. Mr.. IIOhmann. and
Mr.. AtchisOn. and ! was much struck
with the excellence Of the Mankato
roads. The roads of this city have
improved vastly in the last few years.
Mr.. Dunn remarked that many peO-
pie were inclined to abuse the legis-
lature hut he believed the last legis-
lature was a very good one. He said
he thought the senate was about the
best he had seen in all Of his lesisla
tive experience. In the house, TOO.
there were some very bright men and
good members.
complimented Senate Committee.
MIR. Dunn spoke in highly compli-
mentary terms OF the senate com
mittee on finance. and its action In
cutting down the state TAX levy al
most tenth Of mill. lie said IL re-
quired great deal OF nerve 10 do
this la the face Of demands for mon
~ on the part Of this and that de
partment. hut the people were de
termined To have economy In state
expenditures.
Commenting on the rOasts that the
legislature received on the part Of
some newspapers. particularly those
Of 81. Paul. the senator remarked that
he cared nothing for the opinions ex-
pressed IN the press. II was like pour
ing water on Il ducks back. He had
seen so many public men praised
when they did not deserve II and al
so blamed when they did not deserve
II. that he cared nothin6 for the at
iacks or the compliments Of the press.
Senator Dunn spoke OF the anti
good roads movement that had been
started i'm Olmstead and GOOdhue
counties. lie said this was mainly
due TO the Elwell law. which had now
been repealed. He said one very bad
feature Of the Elwell law was that
It gave six petitioners and a majority
Of county board the power of piling
up debts on n county. Debts should
not he piled up on county without
vote OF the people.
Charged Bridge Combine.
Another point on which the senator
laid much emphasis was what he call
ed the bridge combine. He said there
was a combine OF the bridge build
ers. who fought against the system Of
having bridges supervised by the
state highway commission. That
would rather deal with county boards
than with that commission. The
county board members as q rule did
not know whether a bridge was worth
$4,000 or $1,000. but the state high
way commission had experts. who
were specialists along that line. and
il was not so easy then for the bridge
men TO get unrcasOnably high figures
Tor their work.
incidentally the senator remarked
that he would give Governor Eber-
hart the credit for never having play
ed politics with the state highway
commission. lie extended the same
compliment to Governor Hammond
However. he remarked that there
might some day come a time when
there would be n governor that would
do that. For that reason he did not
believe in the old arrangement OF
having the minimum of the road and
bridge fund for any one county as
low as one half of one per cent. as Il
once was. and the maximum as high
as three per cent. II gave a govern
or too much chance TO play politics.
by favOring a particular county that
he desired To carry at the election.
Referring TO the change that had
been made In the automobile law, I'm
regard TO licenses. he said he was re-
sponsible for that. lie spoke OF the
Old system. whereby the license fee
was $3.50 for a triennial period. II did
not make any difference how much OF
the period was gone. the license had
To pay the full amount OF whatever
the amount OF time was that was left.
Under the new arrangement. the fee
was So for the triennial period. SO for
the latter two years OF II. and 81 for
the last year OF IL. That was much
fairer He did not think anybody
should complain about the increase
OF the fee to s.. Each man that had
an automobile ought TO be able TO
stand that.
Praise For Senator Andrews.
Turning TO DIR. ]. w. Andrews, who
sat near. Senator Dunn said: "You
have sent quite a good man 10 the
senate. The better ] got to know him,
the better | liked him. You should
send members that stand for good
roads both TO the house and senate.
Elect your men on that issue. Never
mind county option. That issue has
been settled"
At the plate of each OF the guests
was a very practical souvenir. This
was an automobile route directory for
those who visit Mankato. Il was COM
piled by John Hohmann. president OF
the Mankato Automobile club. Five
thousand copies have been printed
and have been placed in the local
garages Ten routes 10 see the conn