Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-03-30

superintendent bears to school mat
tiers.
Instead Of the absurdity of placing
the admi listration of the road law
of the several counties in the hands
of the highway commission, which
cannot possibly give it the prompt,
intimate and judicious attention that
sound public policy would require
and which is not responsible to the
taxpayers, the expenditures of whose
money it is entrusted with, House
File No. 2S2 would have the county
board elected by the people and thor
oughly acquainted with local needs
and conditions.
To secure practical uniformity in
permanent road work this bill re-
quires all permanent bridges and
culverts to be constructed according
to plans and specifications furnished
by the state highway engineer and
fixed by law minimum widths for
roadways on culverts, bridges and
grades.
The section of this bill providing
for the appointment of county
engineer is made elastic enough to
be adapted to all the counties of the
state. He may be employed for such
Law ~ of 1n ov~1 nf
pervisors may determine and shall
be under their direction as agents
for the county instead of being in
dependent of them and answerable
to no one but the highway commits
sion as he is now. The engineer is
required to certify to all bills for
road work done therefor. The alb
surd provision Of the present law re-
quiring engineers to o. K. bills for
work they newell saw before they can
be paid is omitted in this bill.
The present law has failed to get
road work done at reasonable cost
and will continue to do so because
it is founded upon wrong theory.
1t presumes that local officers are
dishonest and incompetent to han
die the peoples money who elected
them and that a stranger in no wise
interested in the county can be more
fully trusted.
A government can be no better
than its people. One of the most SER
ious objections to the present high
way commission, with the power the
law gives them and their disposition
to arbitrarily exercise the same, Is
the opportunity for graft. With the
power to approve all large contracts
for material, labor, ETC., and to turn
business to certain firms will require
exceptionally strong men to not yield
to the temptations that will beset
them.
The resolution of necessity clause,
the conspicuous characteristic OF
which is it's righteousness, is omit
ted in this bill.
The present law is paternalistic
and unrepublican. This bill is found
ed on the principle of home rule and
| local self-government as opposed to
carpet-bag government. 1t assumes
that those who have the brains and
ability to accumulate wealth and
create taxes have sense enough to
spend their own money. The farm
ers of the state pay more than SO
per cent of our road taxes and use
the roads as a utility many times
more than all other classes togeth-
er and should have large voice in
road matters.
There is no disputing the fact that
the great interests that expect to
profit in road building, namely, the
auto companies, railroads, steel and
cement companies, engineering
schools, city papers, ETC., are behind
the commission and are seeking to
control road building through the
commission and thus exploit the
state. Very Truly Yours,
Jas. f. Johnston.
p. S. These are the interests that
are financing the Good Roads
! Movement and are not actuated al
/ touether nv a shirt of altruiSm