Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-05
4 RIDICULOUS CHARGE.

'r1onry b. JOY Ol DctioiI' q -,
automobile manufactures, is quoted ~
q recent issue Of Golfers as follows
To-day in the rich state OF iowa
not a wheel turns outside OF the
paved streets of her cities during
or for some days after the frequent
heavy rains. Every farm Is lsolat-
ed. Social intercourse ceases.
School attendance is Impossible.
Transportation is at standstlil.
Cid you ever hear the beat OF that!
We might easily be excused Tor De.
lieving that typographical error haa
resulted in the word Iowa getting into
the story instead OF the name OF some
other state. Or possibly Mr.. Joy. who
is called IAN earnest hustler 1or eoou
roads, by Golfers. sought to influence
somebody back in the east with stories
about states far enough away to en-
able him to get away with 1t TOT
time, at least.
Every Iowan knows that Mr. JOY
statement Is absolutely ridiculous.
Everybody who has spent more than a
day in Iowa. knows that the statemen.
is wholly out of accord with facts. II
It were not so malicious in its enect,
it would be most laughable.
And yet Mr.. joys statement is no
more ridiculous than many OF the
statements that are made in the many
ulges of typewriter copy sent out by
fhe various automobile press agents,
to be printed (free) in the nswpapers.
AS the source of ridiculous statements
the auto company press agents are en-.
titled to the blue ribbon and also most
of the lesser prizes.
! There appeared recently in one OF
the big Chicago dailies. three or four
column article on the road question. 1t
was written by an expert who Is not
in the pay of the auto concerns. And 1t
paid the highest kind of tribute to the
dirt roads OF Iowa and labeled them
better than most of the SO called hard
roads Of Illinois. The article pointed
to Iowa as one state that had not gone
1oony on the road question, but had on
the contrary, managed to provide roads
all over the state that give service
practically all the time without having
foisted any big bond issues or extra.
ordinary road taxes upon the people:
The expert who wrote the article for
the Chicago paper, knew what he was
talking about There are instances
plenty to bear him out. Take. for ex.
ample the dirt road between here and
Oskaloosa. There is thirty-two mile
stretch that is serviceable practically
every day. A heavy rain does not rem
der it impossible although it may
force autos to cut down their speed
considerably Yet there are mighty
few days when the course is not gone
oyer in one hour or better. And it
fIust not be overlooked that the road
to Oskaloosa Is just an average Iowa
highway. There are some not quite
10 good and great many that are bet
ter.
AS for a heavy rain isolating the
farms and stopping school attendance.
Mr.. Joys statement is pure bunk. 1t
II Just such remarks as his that XIII
the prestige of the printed statement.
They cast all statements into disrepute
and when q man really has something
worth while to say. he finds difficulty
in getting the confidence OF the read
o1S.
This is not an article against the i'm
provement Of roads, because The
Courier is heartily in favor OF good
roads. One can resent such silly, rtdic-
ulous statements as Mr.. Joys without
ta1ang issue with what he says he Is
advocating.
Iowa Ia steadily improving Its roads
and 10 doing II In the right way. Road
building is yet pretty much matter
90 >-~nSSvvnxan<