Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-23


of the farmer will be more easily
distributed and farming will be-
come a more stable industry.
Many Contributions
OF course, campaign OF TINS
character could not be conducted
without money. Chambers of Com
merce and other civic organizations
contributed in addition to each au-
tomobile owner and every garage.
Upon the windshield of the cars APP
peared q Sticker with this legend:
VOTE YES
Tuesday, June 18th.
BUILD
r Dads
light
NOW
All bad roads were posted with
this sign:
This should be a
GOOD ROAD
Vote YES June 18th.
For the money
Thousands of these circulars were
mailed to the voters, one leaflet
containing the following: DO you
eat? Or have you quit? Then you
need good roads! You needn't eat
the improved roads, of course, un-
less YOU want to, but large per-
centage of the things you do eat are
hauled over Mercer county roads ana
the better the roads the less you
will have to pay for having your
eats hauled over these roads. Ihe
only people who don't eat are the
ones who are dead and the only tax
payers who won't vote for the bona
issue. June seventeenth, are the ones
who are dead. Either the ones who
are using their six feet of ground
that nature finally provides us all,
or worse still the ones who are dead
to the urgent need of the county FOR
good roads. Make a mental memo
randum right now to vote YES.
Program Outlined
The committee also sent the voters
a statement outlining the program
as to where and how the roads were
TO be constructed in event of the
loan being approved. Then follow
ed an appeal to vote right and a
complete statement of what the
State Department of Highways and
the County Commissioners had
agreed upon as to the location of
permanent highways and lateral
roads. This statement contained the
signatures of the County Commits
sioners and also practically their
pledge of what they would do. 1t
was a case of good faith.
the Mud!' was popular slogan. A
message from Governor Sproul to the
voters of Mercer county to support
his program for permanent high
ways and calling their attention to
the importance of main trunk lines, |
without regard to county divisions, |
made a great impression. Mercer
county will never regret having
voted to lift herself high and dry
above the mud" was the Govern |
or's closing word.
Still another circular sent to all the |
voters urged the support of the pro-
posed loan in the interest of COM |
plete county highway system which |
means, as was set forth, higher !
values for all real estate in the
county, a saving to both producer /
and customer in the lower cost of |
hauling, the transportation to and |
from the best market points and
greater comfort and ease of travel
in all seasons.
Voters Get Reminders
After the ballots were issued and !
the. election was at hand a large card |
was sent to every voter with the |
picture of an awful stretch of n |
Mercer county road and underneath |
these words: Put an end to roads,
like this!"
There was plenty of newspaper
advertising in all the county's weekly |
newspapers and also the dailies in
which the agonistic arguments were
intelligently answered. 1t was point
ed out that no argument was needed |
for good roads, the only point be-
ing: What are the voters going to |
do about it? 1t was pointed out
that the bond issue would pay out at
less cost per year than road build |
ing costs now. This example was
given: "A farmer with land worth, |
say $1,000 will ordinarily be assess |
ed at about $4,000. His road bond
tax would be seventy-ffve cents per
year, about two cents per day. If heI
prefers to pay his share now he can |
buy 5000 worth of Government |
bonds, the interest will more than |
pay his tax and when the bond issue |
is paid off, in say fifteen to twenty |
three years, he or his estate will still |
have the bonds"
Another quotation was this: "The |
farmers of Mercer county pay as |
much for bad roads as they do for |
feed; they pay as much for bad |
roads as they do for their hired |
men,"
Governor Sproul and Highway
Commissioner Sadler, are regarded |
as real road builders and have the
support of the live wires of Mercer
county, who have set the pace for
every other county in the matter of |
educating the people to the value of |
modern highways.
Dauphin and all other counties
which have not yet awakened to the
need of immediate road building
should take a leaf out of the plan |
of campaign, so clearly devised for
the Mercer crusade, and get into step |
with the Governor and his energeticl
Chief of the highways