Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-14
GOVERNOR ELECTED ON A MUD
PLATFORM SAYS WE MUST
GET OUT OF MUD.
PERMANENT REQUISITE
TO SAVING MONEY.
Governor Delivers Annual Address Be-
fore Jsint Session OF Lssis,aturs-
Recommends Ratification OF Prohi-
bitory Amendment and Granting OF
Equal Suffrage to Wemen-lo~a and
the War;.
Special to Times Republican.

] 4
Des Moines, Jan. lin his official
message 10 he Thirty eighth General
| Assembly delN cred before Joint ses-
sion OF the mouse and senate in the
! house ehsmoar today Governor W. L.
Harding came out for surfaced roads
/ The governor declared that the neat
step in road 5ctlcrmen: In Iowa Is to
/ surface so as % attain some form OF
! permanency." he did not Recommend
/ any particular sind of surfac!ng but
/ did outline a policy 10 finance such i'm
! provements, advising thai 50 per cent
OF the cost should be paid thru the
motor vehicle fund and the assessment
/ against aouttiuS and adjacent proper
~ and the balance should come from
the general property tax.
Other outs .Aading Recommendations
made by the governor included:
Ratification Of the amendment 10 the
federal constitution prohibiting the
manufacture and sale Of intoxicating
liquors.
An amendment to the state constitu-
ton permitting women 10 vote.
Preservation OF the primary law as
az present except possible minor
changes.
Reinstatement of the returned soldier
in society equipped 10 take the pace
he would have occupied had ne not
been called 10 the colors.
Building OF memorials TO the Work
and sacrstice Of soldiers and sailors.
An appropriation to secure facts.
figures and pictures of war events Tor
use Of future historians.
To classifying and unffying Of the
salaries Of all state employees.
Enlarging the authority OF the state
executive council, giving the council
voice in the construction OF new po-
licies that are to be initiated by the
department." Also widening OF the
powers OF the executive council as a
board Of equalization.
Adjustment by statute OF private
fee employment Offices, making the
state department d labor the head OF
free employment labor servioe
APPROPRIATIONS for the purchase OF
additional land at state refofmasory
and at the state penitentiary. Compile
ton OF custodial farm at ChVe Alons
lines originally intelded
The governor further suggested q
plan for voters to vote on road i'm
proyements. The plan is the same as
| the Florida plan. -.
In addition to recommending consul
tutional woman's suffrage the COVER
| nor proposed that the state statute
| should Re changed giving to women
| urinary suffrage" This would ofret
| women the opportunity to vote in the
primaries for the selection OF candi-
dates. since participation in the pri-
maries is not barred by the constitu.
/ ton. II would require a constitutional
amendment however. for them 10 vote
al the regular elections.
CHANGED Views on Road Question.
The governor approached the as
c,ssion OF the road question diplomat
| cally.
Just now" he said. there is con-
! siderable agitation about highway "n-
provements. Some there are VINO con-
| tend that our entire road Duld.aG sIs'
TEN should be changed. My own
| thought is, after rather compete
study Of the systems Of other states
! that Iowa has a system that Is as wen
! adapte5 to the neds Of the state as can
! well be devised. My suggestion. there
! fore, is that you make as few changes
| as possible in the present road Ia" anu
! system and none that are not prlHlar-
| lily necessary
| The governor pointed out that the
| 10000 miles Of roads Of the state are
| now divided into three systems WIN
| SIS COO miles of township ROADS, IV,v"V
! miles Of county. roads and 5000 miles
! Of inter-county road. He quoted figures
! obtained by the state highway com
mission in its<census traffic IN 1917 at
! fo-ty-seven stations in seventeen di1-
| ferent counties and declared tha'
| from these figures We readily asccr-
tain the real road problem in this
state-that is to provide a road 'or
| local traffic made up Of the farm to
town and town to farm travel. ..
The road that has the largest
amount of travel should be the first
| road improved, said the governor
and should also have the greatest
amount Of improvement. We should
proceed then in our road work az IN
| the past by keeping up. the township
road: grading and draining the county
roads; grading. draining ana suf1ac-
| ig the inter county roads.
Perm aency Requisite.
| THE funds already provided ana
| their distribution should be little dis
| turbed. ~ ,-r..
The next step in road betterment in
Iowa is therefore to surface so as TO
obtain some form OF permanency. This
should first be done on the inter-
county roads. ,-
| I'VE may as we'll be frank with
ourselves ahhou: road improvement: aac
recognize that it is going TO cost
money, and that the tax payers will
have to pay it. e,
Roads are necessary, and with
changed methods Of, transportation a
different type OF road - required now
and for the future than in the past. In
the census referred to n taken by the
highway commission, the average num-
| Der Of vehicles per day was 33s: OF
these zss were motor driven, ana forty
seven horse drawn.
ITO take ths next step in road
betterment IN Iowa Ne are going ia
| REQUIRE moro money than we have
had In the past. ny judsEsnt n that
the motor vshieies should vesy largely
contribute this sRtfA moasy. AZ the
present tina, autono6iIe owners d
not pay = personal tax In the state Of
Iowa. Ths state Nean0e etASUo4 = nucl
below the personal tax that tAs sam<
amount invested IN. 1supesty voalt