Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-17
Newspapers Should Wake Up
IDes MoiEcs Register.l

great trunk lines of railroad nave ho'
benefited him because they do no'
run between his farm and ms near
est market, is either fool himseii
or takes his auditor for fool. Wha'
IL irue of this sort of thing in connec-
ton with the trunk lines OF railroad Is
doublv true in connection with the
great trunk lines of wagon traHic
for everybody can see that it is the
wagon road of the future and not the
railroad that is to dominate the tram,
situation. .t b. 49, .... ..,. n.
In ten years half the freight ano
half the passengers Will be carried
over wagon roads, and just as now the
great thru routes north and south anu
east and west will determine the ac-
feasibility of market, and the desira :
ability of towns and farms, AND val
ues will be found to respond Just as
promptly as they have responded IN the
last fifty years to the facilities OF rail-
road traffic. =
Why have these other states set
about securing wagon roads? The
Register has referred to it SO many
times that we are weary; Of speaking
of It again, but the people Of Mime
sofa by popular majority voted ior
state aided roads nearly eight years
ago. and today the Greater Des
Moines committee takes the Polk
country board of supervisors to Mime
sofa TO show them how roads can De
made. Why should Minnesota be
ahead OF Iowa? Why are Wisconsin
and Illinois before Iowa?
And why are we not honest with
ourselves in this matter of taxes
Iowa is taxed higher today than these
good roads states. What are We do
Ing with the money? What are * we
getting for the money? The automo-
bile tax in Iowa this year will reach
81, coo, 900, 1t is said. What is be
ing done with this one item Of $4,000
900 automobile tax in the way Of
permanent road making?
Whether one man or another i:
elected governor this fall is so in
| ciGental to the people Of Iowa in com
parison with the start forward tht
| state may take in this matter o
| roads, and in all other matters O.
| progressive state organization, tina
1t is not worth taking into accoun
| excepting as the general situation !:
affected A candidate for governor
is worth Just what he can do for the
state If elected. If all he proposes tt
do is to hold back. the quicker every.
body drops him out of his calculations
the better.
The newspapers Of Iowa could alb
| solutely put Iowa in the lead in the
| United States If they would just make
paramount things paramount for one
| winter. Taxes ought to be lowered
| in Iowa instead of raised, the ma
| chinery of state, county, and town ad.
ministration ought to be simplifled
| the money of township county ant
state ought to be spent for permanen
things. What is Mr.. Hughes making
the burden Of his national campaign
| Is 1t not greater efficiency in public
| administration? Did not Senator AL
drch say he could save $300,00o,000 {
! year of national expense If business
| methods could be adopted?
IN this new era Of direct popular ap
peal an enormous responsibility ha!
| been put upon the newspapers. The!
are the medium of public intercourse
| In the measure in which they stand W
and are counted for honesty and eff
| ficiency and progress the communit.
will go ahead. They have duty t.
perform here in Iowa