Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-05-31
HARDING MADE MANY
VOTES IN W|NNESH|Ek
Lieutenant Governor Spoke i'm De-
cOrah at the Grand Last Friday
Afternoon.
GAVE HIS VIEWS ON
THE GOOD ROADS QUESTION
He Said The Real Problem Was One
Of Getting Best Possible Road
Leading From Farm to
Town.

Last Friday afternoon the voters
of Decorah and Winneshiek county
had the pleasure of hearing Hon. w.
l.. Harding, of Sioux City, republi-
can candidate for governor of Iowa,
speak at the Grand opera house. A
goodly crowd was out to hear him,
and If the farmers were not so busy
as they are right now, the opera
house would have been packed, as
many wanted to hear Mr.. Harding
who were unable to get in. He gave
his views on the good roads ques-
ton, and we believe they met with
the approval Of every man within his
hearing. He said that the real prob
lem in roads was that of getting the
best possible road leading from the
farm to the town, and what that
best possible road was to be made out
depended upon the materials found
in any given locality and the ability
of the people occupying the territory
to pay for them and for the work of
moving and placing them properly.
He said we were all in favor of good
roads-the best roads possible. But
heavy bond issues and higher taxes,
he was against, and said they should
only come upon the votes of the peo-
pie who have to do the paying. They
cannot be voted by those who have
no share in the paying of them. Mr..
Harding thinks well of gravel, and
also of oils for roads. But all this
talk about paved roads for Iowa Mr..
Harding was against, and he said
that the big cement manufacturers
land the automobile manufacturers
were fostering it and doing what they
could to get the movement started in
Iowa.
Mr.. Harding is running on plat
form, the kind which no candidate
need hesitate about. He is open and
frank in all his statements and the
true ring of honesty is in every one
of them. He is the popular candi-
date for all the people, and would
make an ideal Iowa governor.
A large majority of the papers Of
the state speak highly in his favor,
and one of the many is the Indepen-
dence Bulletin-Journal.
The Bulletin-Journal feels that
most unjust and unfair fight has
been made against Mr.. Harding 1t
is admitted even by the men who
most venomously assail him that he
is the ablest of the candidates for the
position. There is no other state in
The Union where the lieutenant-go
ernor has more power, and yet in the
face of all this he is charged with
being friend of the saloon and OF
having used mis- position to delay and
impede temperance legislation. This.
in spite of the fact that more such
Legislation was placed upon the books
at the last session than in any other
during the past twenty years-in
| fact a. good many of the real friends
of the issue thought we We're going
ahead little too fast. The facts are,
the opponents of Mr.. Harding dis
prove their own arguments. To al
lege that his very great mental equip
ment makes him all the more dan
gerous and then to point to the
achievements in moral legislation in
body over which he presided do not
coincide at all.
The facts are Mr.. Harding is 4
man who is in every way worthy
of place in the long line of gover-
nors who have with few exceptions
given Iowa so illustrious a standing
in the nation. He is well-balanced
capable and upris hit gentleman of the
finest character, with long expert
fence in the legislative and executive
needs of the state-not crank de-
pendent on single hobby, and pos
sessing an impartial and judicial
mind that studies every problem as it
comes up. He is thorough believer
in the duty OF governor to do his
best to enforce all the laws, not that
he should make a speciality of any
particular statute. If he is chosen
the people of Iowa are assured of
en- executive who viii, bring to the Of
flee the trained mind of an expert
with capacity for details. and they
can rest assured that he will admin
lister the position himself and not
leave it to light weight assistants