Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-16
BETTER ROAD
CAMPAIGN ON
GREATER IOWA ASSOCIATION
HOLDING MEETINGS IN
TWELVE COUNTIES.

Twelve mass meetings of business
men and farmers are being held in
twelve counties Of Iowa this week in
the hope OF Strengthening the cam
paign Of the Greater Iowa association
tor better roads.
A very careful canvass of the legis-
lature last Saturday, made by officers
of the association, showed not only a
sufficient strength in the senate to
carry through reasonable program in
road legislation, but it showed fifty
members Of the lower house friendly
to the road program as outlined by the
association These twelve meetings
being held this week are for the pur-
pose of discussing the road question
in the counties where the members Of
the legislature are doubtful and the
hope is very confidently expressed by
the associations officers that they will
be able to get the support OF the men,
bers from at least half Of the twelve
counties. This would mean that there
would be enough strength in both
houses to preserve state supervision OF
highway improvements and to allow
counties or townships to vote whether
or not permanent improvements in
their counties or townships should be
paid for out of current taxes or by an
ticipating taxes already provided for
and the issuance of short time bonds
under proper restrictions.
"The Johnson road bill, as filed in
the house the other day" says the sec
rotary Of the Greater Iowa association,
"is an insult to the intelligence Of
Tou,o naDDJo IJ,1,}ro that
the sentiment throughout the state,
and even In the legislature, will not
submit to eliminating the safeguard
from graft and ineficiency in road
matters, the reactionaries have drafted
a bill which Is full of jokers,' and is
altogether impossible.
They propose to reduce the num-
Der of commissioners from three to
one and to add to the present duties Of
the commission entire supervision and
management of operations under the
drainage law. And they propose to re-
duce the money available for handling
the highway commission, the lake sur
vey and the drainage operations from
$4,000 year, as at present, to $4,000
a year. They want to make this one
commissioner an absolute car, and
make the office appointive by the gov
ernor every two years.
This would simply mean that high
way matters would get deeper into
politics than they are today. The Iowa
farmers and other business men are
not going to submit to anything like
that.
"Also the Johnson bill provides for
repeating the law which now permits
supervisors to exceed their current
revenue for road and bridge work
and then issue bonds to take care Of
the excess. Everyone is agreed that
the supervisors should not have the
right to issue bonds without vote of
the people, but it would be disastrous
to take away that right which they
now have and not provide that the
people of the county or township could
meet and vote on this question of road
or bridge bonds. Suppose 100000
worth Of bridges were destroyed in
one county next spring. This has been
done before many times. If there is
not power to anticipate some of the
revenues and issue bonds, those
bridges would not be rebuilt for three
or four years The Greater Iowa asso.
citation sincerely hopes that the think
ing men of Iowa will study these mat
tiers and save the state from taking a
backward STEP The time to act Is
right now Every member Of the leg
islature should be deluged with re.
quests to keen up courage and help the
state move forward-not backward"