The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-02-10

OAAOSA OaLS u 4ODEh2- Janu2TN
1S, 1917 and written twelve days
before the joint committees of the
two houses had cOmpletedtheir high
way bill, or hardly gotten started
on its making, the County Commits
sioneTs Association sent out a strong
letter appealing TO their friends TO
write letters to their members of
both houses protesting against the
passage of this bill.
Here IS the first paragraph in their
letter:
THE Commissioners Highway De
paTtrent Bill and Contracting Bill
have been introduced. We find be
fore the Legislature, with a few mi
nor changes, the same old Kincaid
Bill for highway Commission that
the Commissioners Association have
had to fight at every session of the
Legislature for the last six years.
This bill Is patterned after the Iowa
Highway Commission Law, which has
proven Itself q failure. The fight
for Governor at Iowa at the last cleo
ton was made on abolishing the
Highway Commission as 1t IS Orga-
niZed and the candidate that was IN
favor of abolishing II was elected by
126, 764 plurality. The election of
the Speaker of the House was held
on the same issue, with the majority
against the present highway system
Our objections to the Kincaid or
Good Roads Association Bill are nu-
merous"
There is absolutely nothing to this
charge which is being put forth as
| the strongest reason why Kansas
should not want a highway law mod
eled in any way after that of Iowa.
The facts n the case are as follows:
Mr.. E T Meredith, President of
| the Jefferson Highway and one of
the strongest good road boosters in
| the United States was the Democrat
ie candidate for Governor Mr..
| Harding was the Republican candi-
I date Mr. Meredith stated when he
was nominated that his two planks
were Good Roads and Prohibition .
/ The Republican at once started the
/ campaign story that Mr. Meredith
was working for 2 bond issue OF
\ 500, 100000 to pave the Jeffer-
! son Highway and ali the other cross
! state roads. He was also 2 friend OF
the new highway laws of Iowa but
| this latter did not enter into the cam
/ paign-
Iowa has normal Republican ma
! jority of about 1000, 900 and some
times larger. Mr. Harding was lib
eral candidate on the prohibition Is
/ sue End his managers used the bond
raised by the county commissioners
/ effects
The rest OF the dozen objections
! issue against NJ. Meredith with good
association are Just fat and weak
as this one
People Want Change.
The Commissioners Lobby beast
/ that they have been fighting any
change in our road laws for six
years past The people of Kansas
have been holding road meetings IN
every county and township and reso-
I lutIng against our present wasteful,
/ inefficient and unsuccessful methods
/ of road and bridge construction and
maintenance and want q change.
/ The road taxes have been expended
as usual and while IN some respects
the roads have improved still there Is
demand for something better.
If there IS any one subject on
l which the people demand legislation
| looking to a change for the better
It is that Of roads Every member
/ of this Legislature, every county and
| state official and every road booster
/ believes that there is need of q
/ change for the better and 1t is up TO
| this Legislature TO meet this demand.
/ To be successful they cannot follow
/ the dictates of an organization that
has opposed any change IN the road
/ laws for six years--GOod Roads As
! SsOciation.