davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09
School Notes.

The fact that Glen Williams
won not only first in the oratori-
Cal class, but also that he had
first place over all is most graft
lying indeed. His Interpretation
and delivery were of such high
order that there is strong pos
sibility that the Missouri Valley
high school shall carry off state
honors this year. The contest to
determine the winners for the
southwestern quarter of the state
will be held either March II or
"a. In this contest there will be
selected the best from each class
to compete for state honors in a
contest to be held at Carroll in the
early part OF April.
Parents are again reminded
that this week has been desig-
mated as go to School Week"
You will be welcome and your
presence will inspire and encuor-
age pupils and teachers alike.
Any one observing children of
school age on the streets during
school hours will confer a kind
ness upon the schools by notify
ing the city superintendent who,
in turn, will notify Mr.. Beagle,
the city marshal, to escort them
to school.
Our basket ball boys will play
at Woodbine Saturday night. This
will be the last game of the sea-
son.
At meeting OF the senior class
held last week Rev. Miller was
chosen to give the baccalaureate
address this year.
Miss Lois Reel, who has been
having an attack OF appendicitis,
is improving. Miss Cora Hughes
is also improving.
Terry Starlin will soon be per
mitted to sit up.
A number of our school boys
are loafing after school hours al
the livery harm and other places,
from which it is quite impossible
to produce great men. A close
"rental supervision outside of
school hours will do much for the
future of our boys
There have been a number of
inquiries as to the time of the
spring vacation, SO we announce
that the schools will close March
"a for one week.
DR.. w. A. Jessup, head of the
educational department Of the
Iowa State university, has been
selected by the school board to
give the commencement address
this year. The seniors will give
a class play as usual.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09

gravel must be carried. The best
authorities give the cost at from
$500 to 5000 per mile for single
track roads. The county road
being 100 miles i'm length, at the
average cost of $3.50 per mile,
would require 100000, if bonds
were issued, payable on the an
nuity plan at per cent for term
of twenty years. The interest
could be paid and the entire debt
wiped out by an annual payment
of little over $4,000. In fact,
bonds for 100000 so made re-
pure an annual payment of S.
O24.26; by adding a small amount
to the bond issue you could have
every wooden bridge removed and
concrete ones built and still take
care of our county roads for less
than 100000 per year.
Very naturally roads, although
hard surfaced, need repairs.
Don't you think that the $4,000
per year that remains in the finds
would take care of repairs? We
believe it would not only do that
but that it would materially re-
duce our taxes and we would be
enjoying good roads without the
cost, in fact, by reducing our
taxes. This is one case where a
public improvement would pay
dividends.
The better roads commission,
appointed by the governor OF the
state, is making the best possible
effort to point the way to more
scientific spending of road money
and as this the first move of the
state that has given any promise
of relief from past methods of
waste and incompetency Of road
managementwe should support it.
They are trying to get something
for the enormous amount of
money spent on roads,.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09
average being thirty for the best
type of roads.
EQUITY m bonds.


Here in Iowa the man who be-
gan with nothing and now owns
a 100000 farm believes paying as
he goes when building a road, but
he will borrow money from an
insurance company with which to
buy more land, and he has not
yet seen that when he builds a
concrete bridge with one years
tax money he has made a Christ
mas present of that bridge to pos
terity for the next 100 years. He
says that thirty-year paved roads
are impossible because $4,000
per mile is too much to pay out
of one years tax money, and it
has not occurred to him that
there will be taxpayers here when
he is dead and gone who will be
Using that road and by rights
should have to pay for some of it.
$4,000 Road Free.
Anticipating public revenues
by means of bond issues is the
only equitable method for pro-
rsting the cost of long lived i'm
provement among the generations
Of taxpayers who are to enjoy its
5enellts, but it is also highly
profitable to the individual tax
payer as we'll as equitable. Priv
ate money in Iowa is worth 6 per
cent. II costs the average farmer
4 per cent at the bank, but it can
be invested safely at 6 per cent.
His county and school bonds
have been selling for AZ per
cent. When he borrows money
through his county at ~ per
cent SO as to defer the cost of
that road over a long period Of
years, the individual is saved a
profit of ~ per cent for each
year on all road money thus de-
ferred besides easing his tax
burden by passing some of the
cost on to the taxpayers who are
To follow in the future. This
profit Of AZ per cent compound
led and invested by the individual
at 6 per cent will pay off the debt
in twenty-eight years. Let's un-
derstand that clearly. The tax
payers who dig up cash this year
for a $4,000 road will have paid
for the road and their $4,000
will be gone forever. If they had
Kept their $4,000 working at
home upon the farms at 6 per
|cent and had borrowed the price
LOT the road from some bond
holder down east in the name Of
their county at ~ per cent in-
terest, the 6 per cent insterest
earned on the money kept at home
in private investment would pay
all of the, bond interest and also
the debt itself in full in twenty
eight years and the taxpayer
would have both his road and his
original $4,000 besides. Road
bonds offer one Of the very few
opportunities in life TO eat ones
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09

,has doubled in Iowa during the
/ past thirty years and it will
] double again during the next thir-
/ ty years. We bought and paid
for in Iowa this year one-tenth
of all the automobiles that were
sold in the United States. Given
fixed charge for bond retirement,
interest and maintenance out of
a normal increase in automobile
license we could pave one-third of
lour main travelled or county road
| system in Iowa and meet the
our auto license money. We
could then gravel all the rest OF
Jour county road system and meet
its fixed charge out of our prop
/, erty tax without changing single
county road levy. That would be
financing. Ohio and Indiana
have each done twice as much as
that in the number of miles sur
faced, and the annual tax bill i'm
neither state is as large as il is
in Iowa.
Gentleman, do you get me?
Financing a road means some
thing more than taxing a people.
1t means science and sense i'm the
distribution of the taxes that arc
levied.
That Iowa, the one state, with
almost unlimited resources. is still
trying to solve the question of
good roads is somewhat of a mys-
terry.
We do not wish il to appear
that our officers who have TO do
with the building and mainten-
ancr Of our roads are to be con-
dcmncd; they are simply trying
to comply with the law that Gre
aled their office. There is no good
reason why our roads should not
be built as we build our public
schools, Libraries, courts houses.
etc.
Some one has offered the prop
osition that there is not any
profit in road, no matter how
good it is, except for the use of
it. The same may be said of any
public building, court house,
school house, church, park, etc.
In fact the very clothes you wear
are in the same class.
The farmers, who are the real
beneflciaries, by having good
roads, are the ones who would
reap the most benefit by the adj
vanced price of land.
The county roads, as laid out,
carry from IS to 90 per cent of
the traffic, and we will deal now
with county roads in our own
county. Harrison county has i6O
miles Of county roads as now laid
out and approved, and we can
find no good reason for change of
lany magnitude. The authorities
have appOrtioned for the upkeep
and improvement of this 400
miles of road to the amount of
$4,000 for this next year.
Now the cost of crawling roads
depends upon the distance the
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09
FINANCING GOOD ROADS.

Financing road, like build
ing a house or buying a meal,
should be the first step taken in
any road project
This state has never financed
a road as it ought to be financed,
therefore, cur people in Iowa are
paying out more tax money every
year for their roads and bridges
than any state in the union ex-
cepting only the two states of
California and New York, and we
have less to show for our money
in miles or roads improved than
twenty-six other states. Spending
more per annum than either Ohio
or Indiana, we can show barely
one-tcnth as many miles of roads
improved as can be shown in
either Of these states. If any of
you road builders want to see
what happens to the peoples
money when roads are not fl
nanced as all public improve
ments should be, just look to
Iowa. We have more money per
capita than the people Of any
other state, save one. We spend
more of it upon our roads and
bridges than any other state save
two. We have more banks and
more newspapers than any state
II the union. Our strictly agri-
cultural counties now have one
automobile for every nine people.
Our rubber tire tax is greater
than our county road tax, and
yet twenty-six states in this
union have more miles of roads
improved than we have in Iowa.
Other states have their problems
of road finance, but out here we
do not have any chance at all.
We dig up more money than most
any other state ever saw before
and we very promptly bury it in
rich Iowa mud from whence it
came II anybody complains to
the average Iowa farmer he
thanks God that he lives in the
corn belt Of Iowa and keeps on
buying more automobiles and
digging up his road money to the
tune of si2,O00,000 per annum.
Financing a road is a sim
pie problem, if we will keep in
mind that it is an investment
which ought to be paid for by the
people whom it benefits and in ac-
cordance with the benefits which
they receive from it. Somewhere
in every state in The union now,
save in Iowa, and in Al Per cent
of all the counties in the upian,
but never in Iowa, roads are g.
nanced by bond issues SO as TO
distribute the first cost equitably
over the successive generations
of taxpayers who are going ~ use
the road. If the road Will last
approximately ten years the bonds
run for ten years. More durable
roads are bonded for twenty,
thirty and even fifty years, the
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09

pie OF all the state regardless of
the locality in which they are
built, just as they beheflt ali the
people of county, though built
in spots, and in financing our
roads we should provide for the
state at large to contribute and
for the county at large to con-
tribute. Aid from state funds in
a dozen states has proved pow
erful incentive to high class con-
struction. 1t is a wonderful pro-
motor for better roads. 1t is
sound and equitable in road fl
nance.
And SO is vehicle tax, espec-
tally motor vehicle tax, for mo-
tor vehicles need hard roads more
than any other vehicle on earth.
I'VE are killing many of our cit
liens every year because the au-
tomobile on a wet clay hill be-
comes Immediately an engine of
destruction. Here in Iowa we pay
more for our auto license than al
most any other state and yet the
complaint of our auto owners is
not that they pay too much, but
that they get too little for what
they pay. can finance fifty
miles of single track paved road
in every county in Iowa on the
motor vehicle tax of this state
alone, and am not sure but that
could obtain from the auto own
ers themselves petition to
double their licenses if / would
only guarantee them 100 miles of
paved roads in every county. II
is equitable TO tax the vehicle
which needs a hard road most and
then the man who uses the road
ic paving for what he gets.
Taxation Not Burdensome.
Financing a road then simpli-
FIGS itself into a distribution of
cost OYER the years during which
the road is to serve and the sub
division of the annual fixed
charge as between the public ben
eft to the sts.,e at large, the COM
munity benefit to town, county or
township unit and the special
benefit to the man who owns a
farm near to the road, as we'll as
to the man who drives his auto
upon the road. Financing, which
will cover these points, will build
hard roads of some kind in any
mans state without burdensome
taxation. In our own state it will
do it without an increase in tax
alton. With thirty-year county
bonds in this state I could re-
place every temporary bridge and
culvert in the state during the
next five years and pay OF the debt
with interest and maintenance
without increasing the present
county bridge levies. Population
/ doubles every thirty years in the
United States. Whether it
doubles in Iowa or not it affects
our land values, for we occupy the
heart Of the granary of the world.
1Our property subject to taxation
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1916-03-09
pie and keep it, too.
Bourne's Federal Aid Plan.

Senator Bourne once evolved
plan for selling United States
road bonds at 3 per cent, loaning
the money to the several states at
4 per cent, and compounding the
profit of per cent so as to pay
off the debt in forty-seven years.
l think that is the ideal form for
federal aid. The locality would
get the road and never have any
thing but the interest to pay. Our
states which can sell their bonds
for per cent can we'll afford to
loan money to their own counties
at 6 per cent, and their profit on
the interest would pay for our
roads in full before they were
worn out. All the taxpayer would
ever have to pay for a $4,000
road would be the interest.
but how do we know that the
road will outlive the debt? That
is easy. We know that the bridges
of stone built for the Appan Way
1900 years ago are still doing
business. We know that hills
once cut to grade will stay cut
forever. We know that the Cum
berland road in Maryland, built
in President Jcfferson's time at a
cost of $4,000 per mile, is now
being restored for $4,000 per mile
after 100 years Of neglect. To
build macadam and fail to main
tain it is to pass a debt on to pos
terity, while the improvement
will have long since been dead,
but to pave with brick and CON
crete and asphalt and to maintain
will give us roads which will out
live any reasonable debt, since
the grading and the foundations
will last almost forever.
Community Benefits.
An improved road with a hard
surface good for travel at all
hours in all kinds of weather in
this day of the motor vehicle had
become the interurban track OF
modern times. Our agricultural
counties which have one automo-
bile for every nine people today
will have one for every family to-
morrow. In a very few years
There will be two on many farms,
so as to have one for the hired
man.
Such a road, like an in,erur-
ban, brings business to any mar
lket town. Cutting the cost OF
hauling has been estimated by the
United States bureau Of roads to
be possible up to the full cost OF
improvement on a long time road
It costs more in Iowa to get to
ling. High class roads from
henceforth are to benefit the peo-
ss1p1loSsu pue 6Bp e III eYg1s uMo
country. He travels across hia
the driving horse an extinct spe-
cies has made our people users
of statewide and nationwide
roads. No longer are five miles
! the limit Of a mans vision in this
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11
ROBERT C.. SPENCER DEAD.

Milwaukee, Jan. 11.-(SpeciaD-
Robert G. Spencer, sc years of age,
son. Of the author of the Spencerian
system of penmanship, inventor of the
pen which hears his name, and one of
this countrys most noted educators
along commercial lines, died at his
home in this city last nlgn:.
He entered educational work in the
year 1851 In 1854 he founded the
Buffalo Me- camille college at Buffalo,
N. Y. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union
army in Missouri regiment, serving
under General Lyons.
In 1863 he established the Spencer
ian Business college IN Milwaukee.
He. is survived by his widow, one
daughter and four sons.
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11
'2,5O4 OCCUPIED
JAIL DURING 1915
CHIEF BLOCK TELLS OF THE AC.
TIVTTIES OF THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
"Night LOdgers" Leads the List OF
Jail Occupants, Although Desper-
ate Characters Were Caught.

Chief of Police H. G. Block has COM
pleted his annual report to the police
and fire commissioners, and readers
Of the Leader will no doubt be sur
prised to know the city Jail housed
2,504 persons during 1915
The list is headed by 2,377 night
dodgers, which would appear to indi-
cate that the wayfarer within our
gates is not left to the mercy of the
elements during the night-a humane
view, indeed but the more practical
view must not be lost sight of that
many of this number, in moment of
weakness or desperation might COM
NIT petty offenses, whereas the lodg-
ing will prevent not only this, but
also the expense of trial after arrest
and the offender be one more unfort-
unate turned loose on society with
the curse of a penitentiary record.
The following is the list of cases
which the police department handled
during the year:
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11
THE COUNCIL MEETING
WAS HILARIOUS AFFAIR
Some Pep Injected Into Session on
Account of Professors House
Rent Question.
ONE SALOON LICENSE GRANTED

The first council meeting of the
present leap year, taken all in all,
was jolly affair.
The discussion was precipitated
over the question, What is a house
rent?" and is an echo of a communi-
cation from Northwestern college
trustees in which they ask the return
of over $400 paid by them as taxes
under protest.
The tax commission holds that the
educators occupying property rent
free indirectly pay taxes by reason of
lower salaries, and ordered the pay
ment, and now are hoping that the
Watertown institution will settle the
case and establish a legal precedent.
The question: is now in the hands of
the assessors and the board of review,
but someone asked someone else a
question, which started the fun. AL
dermen Gruetzmacher, Kessler and
GlatZel furnished the oratory.
Alderman Gruetzmacher's remarks
were explanatory, telling how to fill
in an income tax blank.
Alderman Kessler acted as a neu-
trail nation willing to offer it's serv-
ices as mediator.
Alderman Glatzel did not just ex-
actly advocate a whipping post for
the tax commission, but he did throw
considerable force into his expression
nf fO fhot f0
make this test case, and suggested
in his own inimitable way that the
commission should find out for them
selves, and not make this city the
goat.
Alderman C. Harte asked Alder
man Gruetzmacher what he wanted,
and Mr. Gruetzmacher was not slow to
tell him he wanted the assessors and
board of review to do their duty and
report.
No motions were passed on the sub
ject, but the desire to get Information
was success.
Bills against the general fund for
$1,782.28 were allowed, the largest
item being for lighting and supplies,
$892.30; the next largest being $780,
60 for culvert pipe. The smallest
item was for rubber stamps, $1.02.
There was also an item for $12.5G for
extra pay for firemen who worked on
the Creamery fire.
A resolution by Alderman Wede-
meyer authorized the purchase of
three kinds of line hose for the fire
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11

To Be at Turner Opera House Next
Sunday, Matinee and Night.

Frank Winninger, who Is booked at
night, January 16, has been identified
with comedy for twenty-five years,
and is a comedian of excellence, and
character delineator of worth More
or less sentiment is attached to the
annual visit Of this fun-maker for it
was in this city that he began his
theatrical career, appearing here in
the early days with his four brothers,
John, Charles, Joe and Adolph. The
first and last named are associated,
this season with the ever popular
comedian, while Charles is playing
comedy role with his wife, Blanche
Ring, in Oliver Morosco's Nobody
Home" Joe is now manager of the
Appleton theatre, recently leased by
the Winninger Brothers.
This is the second season that
Frank Winninger has managed his
own company of twenty-five in roper
toire of six musical comedies. The
action of the plays put on this year
by the Winninger company, are fast
and funny, the songs are new, the
special features are original and the
costuming splendid.
The popular Dutch comedian and
his company will be at the Turner
Opera house, Sunday matinee, Hunt
ing an Heiress,' and in the evening,
Absent Minded Ludwig"
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Of ALL KINDS
HENRY ESTABR0OK WANTS TO BE
PRESIDENT AND PRESENTS
CLAIMS TO THE LEADER.
Ex-May0r Wertheimer Being GrOOmed
by His Friends for Congress.
Other Political Notes.

Far and away the most interesting
phase of the national political situa-
tion Is the movement that has brought
Henry u. Estabrook. OF New York and
Nebraska, SO prominently to the front
as a candidate for the Republican pres
idential nomination. First spoken OF
as q possibility in connection with the
presidency less than six months ago,
Mr.. Estabrook is today one of the
leading candidates. with evidences of
strength that are a source of concern
to the friends of the other aspirants.
He has made speeches in every i'm
portant city in the East. Middle West,
and Far West. an arduous campaign
experience that has put him in good
condition TO meet the rigorous demands
made in the head of a party's national
ticket, and his friends in Nebraska and
other States have formed Estabrook or
ganiZations and are going after national
delegates in the most vigorous fashion.
Impartial observers agree that this
development of the Estabrook boom
has no parallel in the political history
The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-11
THE MENDENHALL COMPANY.
Now Located in New Quarters Mt 2O7
Second Street.

The Mendenhall company, mention
of whom was made in the Leader re-
Gently of having purchased the prop
erty at 207 Second street, are now To-
Gated in their new quarters, although
the addition to the building which is
now constructing does not permit of
the additional work being performed
which the company anticipates.
The property which the company
recently purchased is a brick struc-
ture facing Second street, and the
company is building a frame addition
25x44 feet, with twelve foot clear
ance inside. This new addition will
be the machine shop, containing lathes
and other machinery, and new gas
engine, and it was the ambition Of the
company to be in running order soon,
but owing to the fact that manufac-
now SO busily engaged in the making
of shells and other munitiOn for the
warning nations of Europe, the supply
of their regular lines Of output is
seriously hampered, and all orders
accepted by them are taken with the
understanding that no assurance is
given of delivery within six months.
This inability on the part of the Men
denhall company to get machinery
has proved to be hardship, but owing
to the fact that their order was placed
several weeks ago, they expect to be
in a position soon to add more capa-
city to their already we'll equipped
establishment.