Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-05-04
SUPERVISORS NOW HAVE POWER
TO HARD SURFACE ROADS

The Guthrian editor has been ask
ed, What is the present law as to
hard surfacing roads?"
A lot of county bonds have been
issued and are being issued in differ
ent parts of the state of Iowa for the
purpose of grading and graveling
roads. According to Mr.. Dodd, who
was one of the lecturers on the gov
eminent good roads train at Panora,
the boards of supervisors of Emmett,
Clay, Dickinson, Hardin, Calhoun,
Beuna Vista, Sac, and we believe,
Marshall counties have decided to per-
manently grade and gravel their en-
tire county road system, paying for
the same, so far as possible, from
available funds, and issuing bonds
for the balance. Under what law are
these boards proceeding? Is vote or
the people necessary or is the power
to bond lodged simply and solely in
the board of supervisors?
Under provisions of Section 403,
Code of Iowa, boards of supervisors
may issue bonds to pay outstanding
Indebtedness of the county whenever
these debts exceed five thousand dol
lars, and that section of the law opens
wide the way to road bonding. The
boards may simply grade and gravel
the roads as most people build
house. They may let the bills for the
work run on and accumulate until the
work is finished, and as soon as these
bills exceed five thousand dollars the
board takes them up by issuing coun-
ty road bonds, just as many man
settles his account by note at the lum-
Der yard after his house has been
built. No vote of the people is requir-
ed to authorize the board TO hard sur
face the roads or to issue the bonds.
As the law now stands, the entire
power and authority with reference
to this matter is directly lodged with
the board of supervisors, and not with
the taxpayers. There is absolutely no
doubt about this being the law.
An effort is being made to convince
the farmers that there is an organized
movement on in the state to increase
their taxes against their consent, and
the facts are that none of the road
boosters who are being abused are
suggesting any increase of taxes or
any Harvard steps in this road matter
until the farmers themselves vote for
the change, The talk about this whole
subject has been misleading and to a
considerable extent is the work of
demagogues and opportunists.
There has been great unrest on the
road question in Iowa, and Governor
Clark some time ago appointed nom
partisan committee to investigate ex-
listing laws and report conclusions To
the next legislature. Upon this COM
mittee are two extensive farmers and
stock raisers who are engaged in no
other sort Of business. There is one
lawyer, one grain and lumber dealer,
one banker, one editor of daily
newspaper, and one editor of an agri-
cultural paper. They are all men of
substance. Hon. E. T. Meredith,
whom the democrats have selected as
their standard bearer for governor. is
one member. Senator Foster of this
place, is another member. Is not this
committee entitled to fair hearing,
and what does 1t stand for?
In an address delivered at Perry
last January, Senator Foster, who is
a member of that committee and
speaking in its behalf, said:
1T is the belief of the committee
that what is needed in Iowa is not
more money. but better system oil
spending the money we already have
and the committee at its very first
meeting went on record as emphatic
ally opposed to an increase of road
tax. The better roads committee is
not trying to force road bonds. All
that the committee recommends is
thai an enabling act be passed by the
legislature whereby communities may
vote bonds IL they choose to do so.
They are putting up to the taxpayers
the simplest proposition that can be
to-wit: The construction
of better roads by the county and
township units, leaving the people
of the locality to determine the kind
and amount of roads to be built or
whether they will build any. The pur-
pose OF the bonding law is to permit
voters of the township, county or To-
cal district to spend their own money
as they please"
What is the matter with this pro-
gram? May not the principles of self
government be safely applied to the
road problem? If the farmers of
Guthrie county get ready to surface
the county road system, may they not
be safely intrusted to go ahead and
ought they not to have power to keep
the board of supervisors from doing
IL II they don't want ii done? The
real question is, where shall the pow
err to hard surface roads and issue
bonds be lodged? With the farmers
and taxpayers or with the board OF
?--The Guthrian, Guthrie
Center. Iowa, April 81, 1916.