Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1916-02-03
ANSWER IS As
CLEAR AS MI D


A previous issue of this paper remarked
that Columbia county was willing to
accept all the money it could get for
the making of improvements along the
Wisconsin river and at the same time
was no willing to come forward with
$12, 900 to aid in thes construction of a
bridge across the river at Prairie du
Sac. Peter Richards of Lodi writes to
ask when Columbia gcounty ever asked
the state for aid .forlriver improvement
exceptin the case of the proposed bridge
at M errimack. He also wants to know
why Columbia countysshould tax itself
for $12, 600 or any other sum for the
purpose of building bridge the county
does not want and which is only want
ed by the people of another county to
draw travel and traffic for the purpose
of building upltowns to the injury of the
villages in Columbia county. HAS not
Columbia county in the last sixty years
or more paid tribute enough TO the
bridge companies at the Sank towns to
be entitled to little let up from the
existing drag of tolls whenever it is de-
sirable tn cross the river by team or au-
tomobile, - be asks. "Can you tell US
why the rest of the state should ask
Columbia county to pay to its own
great damage the sum of $l2, 600 to
build up the two towns of Prairie du
Sac and Sank City, thereby cutting
their own throats?" he adds. He
concludes by stating that the recon
mending of such a tax by the Stat e
Highway commission is of itself an out
rage and helps good deal towards dis
gushing the people of the state with the
idea of government by commission.
The Reply
In reply it can be stated that Colum-
bia county has received large sum
in the past for creating and maintain
ing the levee near Portage. In the
building of good roads in that county
all the money offered by the state n
no doubt been accepted. Furthermore
Columbia county accepts every yer
stats aid tor schools all of which is
perfectly proper. The people of the
whole state have been taxed to aid Co.
lnmbia county with the levee improve
ment and on the other hand the county
baked at aiding the bridge at Merrl-
mack and now the one at Prairie du
Sac. Mr.. Richards thinks it would not
| benefit Columbia county and no doubt
has forgotten that the members of the
Columbia county board who reside near
Prairie du Sac voted for the improve
ment while those near Portage where
the levee and good roads moneyhas. been
spent, voted again st it.
Furthermore Mr.. Richards no doubt
knows what political faction held the
reins at Madison last winter-the gov
ernor, the lower house and the upper
house. If commissions are so obnox-
Iious what was done with them? A few
unimportant ones were combined, sal
aries increased and others created.
While the highway commission may not
be perfect body the administration
has not seen fit to abolish it. To an
observer at a distance it looks as if
the people of Columbia county, espe-
cially about Lodi .and Portage, would
hesitate to accept state aid in the flu
ture after opposing two good PROPOSE
tons like the bridges at Merrimack and
Prairie du Sac. If the foundations Of
the world were laid on selfish motives,
rivers would never be bridg ed and
ms curtains would never be pierced.