The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1918-12-26
DENIAL
State Highway Commissioner Refutes
Charge Of Nonpartisans That
He is a Gangster.

The Farmers Will Benefit More From
Good Roads Program Advocated
Than Any Other Class.
Who's the .aold gang back. of the
state highway commissions plan for
lifting Minnesota out Of the mud ?
G. m. Babcock, state highway commits
sioner would like to know.
The Minnesota Leader, official or
gan Of the Nonpartisan league, claims
discovery Of the "old gang" lurking
in the woodpile. IS,
The plan for amending the state
constitution SO as to allow Minneso-
ia to issue bonds to build statewide
highway system covering 5000 miles
originated with me-" said Commits
sioner c. M. Babcock, $50 I suppose
! must be the gang referred to. I
never have been called that before.
"As a matter of fact there is no
gang, and everybody knows it. The
charge is absurd. The farmers will
benefit more from the good roads pro-
gram advocated by this department
than any other class of people.
"The system of proposed highways
is so comprehensive, connecting up
every important center in the state,
that no farmer will find himself very
far from a hard surface highway
which will greatly benefit him in get
ting his produce to market.
31The farmer is the only producer
who has to haul his produce to mar
ket. Every other industry of any
size has side track facilities which
make hauling unnecessary. The fed
eral government has estimated that
farmers, on the average, have to haul
their wheat nine and one-half miles
to market. What we are trying to do
is to cut down the cost of this haul.
THE farmer is also vitality inter-
ested in the proposed system from the
point of view of the automobiles.
More and more the farmer is doing
his travelling by auto. In the older
settled districts most farmers now
have cars, many having seven pas
senger nssachines. The farmer needs
good roads both for business and for
pleasure"
The Nonpartisan league organ in
its guarded attack on the state high
way commissions plan has attempted
to confuse the issue for the league
members, most of whom are farmers
by misleading statements as to just
what the plan is. In a nutshell
! the commissions plan is this:
To build 5000 miles of highway
connecting up every county seat in
the state, and so distributed that every
county will be reached by several mag
nifcent arterial roads.
To build this system with the pro.
ceeds on bonds to be issued by the
state, new system Of taxing auto
mobiles, all Of which tax would go to
the state, would pay the interest
charges on the bonds and provide a
sinking fund for their retirement.
TO amend the state constitution 50
that the state may issue the proposed
bonds and tax automobiles.
: It is proposed that the legislature
this winter pass the amendment to be
submitted to the people at the next
general election in 1920. This would
enable the 1921 legislature to vote the
first installment of bonds.
The proposed amendment will not
"take the lid off, the constitution,
as has been eroneously charged. The
amendment will create highway
system and empower the legislature
to vote bonds for that specific pur-
pose. The whole plan, plain and spe-
cific in every detail, will be outlined
so that the people will know just what
they are voting for.
The system of highways may cost
as much as $100, 900, 900, but this sum
will be reduced by the amount of fed
eral aid proposed in bill before con-
gress. This aid will amount to about
$13,5O0,000, covering a period from
1920 to 1924 inclusive. This sum is
exclusive Of about $3,5O0,OOO available
for 1919, but which Minnesota may not
be able to avail itself of.
Foch Makes Huns Beg for Peace.
London is laughing over a story
that has lust reached here regarding