The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-26
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1916.
Kenosha Wants Real Roads.

HA6uOSIl6 w dIGS ICGdl EOOoAos
The city of Kenosha wants good
roads in Kenosha county and what is
more it stands ready to pay for them
at the market value. Merchants and
manufacturers, professional men and
laborers have united in signing petit
ton to the County Board asking chat
the members of the board vote to issue
county bonds to meet progressive
Pleasant Prairie half way in her effort
to build real roads The road building
plan is of interest to Pleasant Prairie
but it is Of just as great interest to
the remaining part of the county. 1t
is of paramount interest to the city of
Kenosha and that is the reason that
hundreds of Kenosha citizens have APP
pealed to the members Of the County
Board in the city to vote in favor of
the road bonds. This is no movement
of an automobile association to build
road as a speedway but a big move
ment of lot Of interested people who
see a chance to make Kenosha a bigger
and better town by building these
roads. The men who have signed this
petition are not "pikers" in any sense
of the word. They are the men who
pay the big taxes of the city of Keno
sha and they are going on record as
being willing to go down into their
pockets and pay sixty five percent of
the cost Of building these roads if the
County Board will just give them the
chance to spend their money. They do
not believe that the building of the
roads is going to be burden on them.
In fact, they are prudent fellows and
believe that no better time in the his
tory of the county could be found to
get this big job of road building off
their hands. They feel that something
is due to Pleasant Prairie for taking
the lead in the matter and they are
hopeful that in due time Somers and
Paris and Wheatland and Randall will
come along and ask them to do their
part in building permanent roads in
these towns. They are not afraid of
the precedent of giving big aid to one
town for road building. They want the
precedent to be an example to the 9TH
er towns. 1t may be that when this
proposition was first brought to the
members of the County Board some Of
the city members of the board were
opposed to it. They may have thought
that the great majority of their consti-
tuents were opposed to bonding the
county for roads. They will know diff
ferent now. The petition which is to
go to the board is going to bear names
enough to convince even the most skep-
teal supervisor that Kenosha as a city
is In favor Of the road building plan.
The cost of the proposed roads is not
going to be one that will prove hard
ship on any one. With the provision
for the issue Of bonds the cost Of the
roads is going to be spread over sew
eral years so that the sum total for anv,
year will not exceed $4,000 for the
whole county. The proportion of this
amount to be paid by the average prop
erty owner is so small as to make it
unworthy of consideration The few
men who pay large taxes in the city
are all in favor of being taxed for the
improvements sought. Bad roads have
Tor years been the name of Kenosha
county. Now the opportunity is offered
to start big movement which IS going
10 give to Keno5ha county the best
roads to be found in any county in
Wisconsin. 1t is to be regretted that
the people of the town of Somers did
not feel their way clear to make some
provision for the road bonds that were
made in Pleasant Prairie. Somers is a
progressive township and has done
more than any other town in the coun-
ty for the advancement of the road
movement and it is certain that before
the end of the year the men in Somers
will work out some plan which will
make it possible for that town to do
its part.
The important thing now is for the
County Board to carry out the wishes
OF the people of the city and county.
This means that they vote to give the
AID necessary to complete these roads
IN Pleasant Prairie with the full I'M
Outstanding that the same action will
be taken when other towns are ready
10 build roads. The new plan that is
being followed to give state aid for
road building by taking the money out
OF the general funds of the state and
the elimination of the old form of In
dian giving which was in vogue before,
goes long way toward cutting the
amount that the county is to pay for
highway taxes and even if the entire
county started to build roads the plan
could be carried out without making