The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-01-11
ROY D. SMITH
Is SUPERVISOR
OTHER APPOINTMENTS ARE MADE
While Delegation Protests Against Mr..
Smiths Action in Cutting Trees
Road Work is Commended

While a large delegation of citizeps
of the district protested against the
reappointment of Roy ID. Smith as su-
pervisor of Road District No. 3 last
Thursday, declaring that he destroyed
ornamental shade trees, his ability AZ
roadbuilder was not questioned ito
any considerable extent. fand Mr.. Smith
was reappointed.by the county court.
Other supervisors appointed we're:
District l. H. W. Taylor; 2, S. W.
Curran; 4, W. L. Nichols; 5, &. H..
Stanton; 6, Chester Shute; 8, j. B.
Doggett; 9. J. E. Ford; 10. J. P. Han
sen: IL. J. ]. Moreland; IL. E. s.
Hays. J. I. Holman and F. A. Massee
were reappointed road viewers. F. E.
Knowles was appointed a member of
the Hood River library board to sue
ceed E. W. Sweaney, resigned.
The resignation of Prof. Henderson.
fruit inspector, was passed until the
next meeting.
The willful destruction of ornamental
trees lining the districts roadsides, the
practice of deception in his dealings
between citizens of the district and the
county court and intolerance for those
who dare disagree with him in his road
policies were some of the charges
brought against the supervisor of Road
District No. 3. F. E. Knowles. spokes.
man for the citizens complaining
against Mr.. Smith, asked that MIR.
Smith step aside and that some other
supervisor be appointed the coming
year for the peace and progress of the
! district.
"The handsome oak trees of the Bar.
rett roadsides, said Hosmer X. Arm
old, one of the protesting orchardists,
''are gradually disappearing under the
administration of MIR. Smith. The trees
are being taken by stealth as the road
men need wood. The brush and slash.
ings are left, an unsightly lotlof litter
on the roadside. For the most part
trees are take from points where abut.
ting property is owned by non-resi
DENTS"
While she protested against Mr..
Smiths destruction of trees, Mrs. AL.
ma Howe, a pioneer resident of the
district. commended his work as road
builder.
MIR. Smith in reply to bis opponents
confessed that he had quick temper,
due perhaps, as he stated. to having
been born in Mississippi during the
period when the community was en-
gagged in a great civil war.
81 have never cut tree, he said,
Except when | was thinking that ]
was doing a service to the commun-
ity."
Before be closed Mr.. Smith declared
that it would not be necessary for the
court to discharge him as supervisor
because of complaints as to tree cut
ting
''l served through two wars" he
ssid. land know something of disci.
pine. The county court may, it II
sees fit, tell Smith to quit cutting
trees. They do not necessarily have to
destroy Smith"
Mr.. Smith said that men working
under him had sometimes taken the
trees they felled in return for the work
done.
Never" he said. "has man re.
ceived tree. when he was being paid
by the county for the work done. ]
myself have never taken any Of the
wood.
Others present to testify against MIR.
Smith were: S. G. Oxborr0w. J. r.
Forden and Mrs. E. Gosse. Mr.. Smith
prefaced his reply to those obiecting to
him by commencing Mr.. Knowles on
the impassionate manner lin which he
had conducted his case. Mr.. Smith
told of the poor condition of roads
when be took the Office of supervisor.
Like water" he said, "the high
ways seemed to form the lines of least
resistance.
81 saw that it would take some sys-
TEN to work out good roads for the dis
trict, and | tried to put into effect
system of my own."
MIR. Smith declared that he bad not
made it practice of indiscriminately
cutting trees. He admitted, however.
that he had probably cut more than
some of the citizens of the district
would think proper. AS authority for
cleaning out the right of way of high
ways he quoted from an article written
for the Oregon Voter by Herbert Mum.
highway engineer of Multnomah coun.