Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-29

i Sthtc6, was y OlSSrACeiuA CHdPtoA - 20 70
grandixement and military conquest Q.
the Unlted States. which rightly EN-
Filtered the Mexican people against
Americana 1t was brought on oS
jingoes and large landed interests, wht
dragooned the government into q wal
that was needless and which filled not
only the Mexicans but all of South
| and Central America with distrust Of
the United States.
| GOOD ROADS; GOOD F,EEIING.
| ISioux City JournaL]
There Is no solid ground for oppo-
sition to the propaganda new beine
carried on by the better roads COM
mission recently appointed by Governor
| Clarke That was the verdict Of prac-
tically all Sioux Cityans who attended
the good roads meeting at the COM
mercial club listened to the address
Of d w. Norris, Of Marshalltown.
chairman OF the commission, ard
viewed the exhibits of the good roads
special" ON wednesday evening. 1t is
matter for regret that more Of the
farmers from the vicinity of Sioux City
were not present to see and lear for
themselves the simple terms to which
the good roads movement in Iowa has
been reduced. @
Five years as:o. when good roads
sentiment was first made manifest to
the legislature in vigorous fashion,
there was a bitter fight led by ex-
trer,ists on both sides. The good
roads boosters wanted the state grid
ironed with state highways OF concrete
and brick. built in part with money
from q state fund. under the complete
direction OF a state highway commits
sion. Newspaper advocates OF this
advanced plan for road Improvement
would listen to no compromise. En-
deayor was made to browbeas iegislat-
ors who were unwilling to go so fast
and so far at one session. The result
was q lineup in which she representa-
lives Of the farming districts generally
opposed the good roads enthusiasts
and easily defeated their legislative
program. A good roads law was
passed, however, which went about as
far as could be expected of an initial
effort, and which has since furnished
the foundation TOR a model code. The
law was strengthened materially at
the succeeding session. 1t provides
state highway commission which is
no wdoing effective supervising engi-
neering work. 1t creates county and
township road organizations Under it
an encouraging number of permanent
bridges have been erected and perma-
nent grades established.
The present road law is weak in one
particular. Il does not provide easily
operated machinery by which COM
munities that have their permanent
bridge work and grade work well
along can surface the roads with
gravel or other permanent surfacing
material. To do this it Is necessary for
any community to raise considerable
sum OF money in lump. This can
readily be done by issuing bonds. and
bonds 50 issued can be carried and
taken up in due time out OF the pro-
ceeds Of the regular road levtes-
leyies Of which the bulk is spent now
in purely temporary road improve
ments. County bonds can now be is
sued for this purpose. but boards OF
supervisors are slow to act unless as
sured that sentiment turnout the
county Is strongly in favor OF the plan.
What Ia wanted now Is q law, by which
bonds can be issued by counties. town
ships or specially created road dis
tricts. whenever the voters In the ter
ritory affected vote their approval. 1t
LIS also desired that the holding OF such
election shall be made mandatory
whenever a petition signed by Ger
tain number Of property owners shall
request II. This Is the main Item OF
the demands to be made upon the next
general assembly by the Iowa good
roads boosters. It Is SO plain an ap-
pllcation OF the home rule principle
that no valid reason can < be ad-
va.nced for refusing It Under the
terms OF the proposed legislation every
community can decide whether it
wants hard surfaced roads Of any kind
and is ready to pay what they may
cost. II bond project is undertaken
where public sentiment Is not pre-
pared for II, the bonds necessarily
must be voted down.
Chairman Norris, who addressed the
evening meeting in Sioux City, knows
more about good roads and has done
more for good roads than any other
man In Iowa Mr.. Norris told his
hearers that IN spending 100000 on
its roads last year. Iowa spent more
than forty-hve other states. or this
amount, according to Mr.. Norris all
but Sc ,e00,e went into temporary
work such as grading and dragging
and bridge and culvert building which
must be done over and over again.
Mr.. Norris does not propose to In
crease the road tax in any Iowa county
or In the state as a whole He proposes
to use large part Of the $4,000, 900 now
being virtually wasted in temporary
improvements as the basis Of bonds to
pay for the construction Of permanent
roads, the bonds to be taken UP even
tually without any increase In tax
alton. The Norris plan is not original
with the Marshalltown man. It's prac-
ticability has been proved wherever
permanent roads have been built ex-
tensively. Under this plan It is only
question of five or ten years until
every county road system In every
Iowa county can be hard surfaced
without any call on the taxpayers for
more money than they are now paying
out for mud roads.
There'is no politics in the good roads
issue In Iowa as It now stands. Three
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