The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-06
SUPPORT IS PLEDGED To
ALEXANDRIA HARD ROAD

help make the road from the Des
Moines river bridge to Alexandria
something more than COW path or
a hog walk. He said that the dele
CATION was sure of it's success IL
Keokuk would add her share OF the
burden. Howard Spurgeon spoke
briefly Of the Missouri road law and
explained that the road district could
be only eight miles square. and that
this made them three miles short on
the Alexandria end, and that 1t was
on this that they were asking help
from Keokuk.
Tells About State Aid.
Judge Hilpert was called on to en-
plain the plan by which Canton add
LAGRANGE are building their iosds
and which the Clark county people
will follow. The state furnishes
$1,000 for the first mile and then
goes fifty-fifty with the road district
for the rest of the work. That Is for
every dollar voted for the road. the
state puts in a dollar. The road II
to be a permanent one and will havs
a rock base. The speaker toll how
they had secured the consent OF the
highway board to get the road on the
map at once, for immediate work,
and said that If Keokuk and :he
people in Clark county would act at
once, they would have a chance to
get the road placed on the priority
list now.
Get busy and do It." he urged,
"and you viii have more commerce
and more business, The people want
to come to Keokuk, and the only
trouble is that we mus, have help
TO bridge over the section where the
will end. The money must be as
sured before we can get the state
aid"
Railroads and Flood.
The suggestion to strighten the
road brought explanations from M.
F. Baker and W. ]. Fulton concerning
the gap where there is no levee, and
the conferences which have been
held with the Burlington railroad
officials in regard to the food situa-
ton. The Egyptian levee leaves the
Des Moines bank about a mile and a
quarter above the railroad bridge,
and this leaves about 500 acres in a
little peninsula there subject to over
flow. For five successive years this
has been under water. Burlington
railroad officials in one conference,
the Keokuk men said, progressed to
see some danger to their bridge and
tracks by the threat OF the river to
cut new channel. At second con-
ference this worry seemed to have
been dispelled. Surveys for building
this levee have been made, but as
yet no permission has been granted
by the Egyptian levee board to join
their levee. The boaru claims that
a joining of this nature will make
the pressure so hard on the levee
that it would have to be raised two
more feet for considerable length.
Mr.. Fulton suggested that Ii the
road Is to be built 1t should be so
built as 10 give service twelve
months out of the year. This would
necessitate raising it above the stage
of overflow.
Canton Man Urges Haste.
Frank Millspaugh of Canton, one
of the boosters for the road In his
county, gave long talk on the pro-
ject. He said that the Missouri
highway commission had gone on the
theory that God helps those who
help themselves" and he urged that
the local people get busy at once,
and pledge their support for the road
from the bridge to Alexandria He
called It national highway and pic.
tured the advantages that would
accrue from a permanent highway.
CLARK county is ready, and now
it's up to you people 10 build this
road. Kahoka Is going to fight the
project and will try to get the high.
way commission to take the road up
to Pennington and cross the river
tn ere. We want to come to Keokuk,
and Keokuk would reap the greatest
benefit from a hard road"
E. NJ. Majors said Keokuk was
anxious to have the road T. R.
Bartholomew said that most Of the
merchants here said they wouldn't
give any more money to patching up
the mudhole, but they would go in
for a permanent road.