Morris tribune., 1916-04-07
THE ROAD PATChERS

The g Minnesota Highway Home Rule Association
has been organized to fight imaginary wrongs is
ing enlist the support of township officials newspaper
editors and the public genraly in lot of bunk
The announced purposes of the organization are two
l. To permit county board to employ their own en-
gineers.
2. To save to county boards the right to purchase
their road and bridge materials.
The first object of this association has already been
accomplished tho thanks due the Home Rule AS
ISOLATION The recent economica legislature cut down
the appropriation for the highway commission so
much that the commission could longer employ and pay
for assistant engineer for each county So county
board in practically every county of the state employs
pays for the road engineer working state roads n-
cdentay no one but possessing the superior in
telligence power of imam of member of the last
legislature where the economy to the tax payer
comes in.)
The second object of this ASSOCIATION lays it's members
and supporters open the charge of being either graers
or fools Every county commissioner township officer
of experience in this state knows that there is brdge
trust Contracts for bridges in Stevens county always
go to certain firm, in Stearns county to another and in
Steele county third. The forms of competition
maintained, but the evidences of collision ample
convince any reasonable Every often ndepen-
dent will bid for bridges in this state and al
though it may bid cheaper, boards will have hesancy
about dealing with strange concern. But if the
firm promises to be dangerous competitor then the
either pools and 1erbds the arrival until he is dis
couraged else takes him into the combination and al
lots him a slice of Minnesota for his own.
Now the bridge trust ought to be put out of business
and rather than fight it thru the courts and accomplish
nothing in the end, Representative Warner proposed
that the State Highway Commission be given authority
perfectly clear that with the opportunity of securing
large order responsible bridge builders in the
would furnish bridge material the commission for the
counties and towns much cheaper than it is being
furnished by the members of the trust
Yet the minnesota Highway Home Rule Associ-
aton'' would to the town boards and county COM
missoners the precious privilege of paying prices
for bridge material Thus the officers of this associa
ton knowingly pulling chestnuts of the fire
for the bridge trust they must think that other people
big fools they are.
AS matter of fact the Highway Home Rule Assoc-
alton is not making much progress because every township
and county official that takes the time to investigate finds
out that the whole thing is bunk, but such continuous
agitation is njurng the of good roads in Minnesota
If we are going to have good roads in this state,
the State Highway Commission should be given not
less authority The state paying 70 per cent of
the cost of state roads, but where the money be spent
is left entirely with the county commissioners of various
countless and the the money being scattered around
in counties is pity.
In other counties, the commissioners have worked
with the state commission intelligenty and result
has secured very fine main roads, and this leads
the conclusion that the best thing that could happen
this state would be to give the State Highway Commission
authority to Designate build and maintain the state roads
without any hnderance help from local authorities and
then let the county boards build county roads and the town
boards build town roads.