Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-09-09
FORMER s-A5cSoEo FARMER
ADMINISTRATION OF CHANGE
OF SENTIMENT ON PAVING.
CALIFORNIA CONVERTS
RADICAL MUD ADVOCATE
Special to r.nes. KepubILsan.

4 Special 10 Times Republican.
Scarsboru. Sept. s.-"Whatever in
dlviduals may think concerning them,
TWO great Iowa accomplishments are
| just round the corner" declared Bank
er William Mcneil. Of Searsboro, the
other day. the achievements, about to
be. universal school consolidation and
! hard surtacIns Of county roads
Mr. Mcneil reminiscontly referred TO
4 an address on the good roads question
given ny Editor Norris, Of the Times
/ Republican. several years ago in a
/ western Iowa. town before gathering
/ Of bankers. and told how there was
noticeable sentiment on the part Of
/ some Of the audience 10 the effect that
( it was a pleasant dream OF delightful
/ situation that perhaps never would he
realized. He told, too, Of the risk Of
/ reputation for sanity and almost OF
| physical safety that a man was rum
! ming when he proclaimed locally his
( belief in permanent road work at that
! time. \ single incident illustrates the
/ switch Of popular opinion since those
days. \ heavy land owner and stock
I CtdAGE o. TINS GUM, kAtlAN spa ANNN
and influential. in a way lived his &C
/ tive life as consistent an opponent OF
! all hard suTfaCing schemes, perhaps,
as ever lived any where in this state
Any stretch Of land with any kind OF
| fence on either side was good enough
road for him and therefore for any one
/ else. He knew and readily could recaH
the thousand and one stock objections
to hard SurLaCirg OF roads. In course
| OF time this 'irrecOnCliablc' moved
| away TO southern California and left
| son TO manage the big Iowa farm. lie
| located on 4 paved road few miles
from a city OF that state. Not long
! ago the son visited his father and came
back with the statement that the OLD
! gentleman had changed his mind some
what on the road surfaclng question:
! so much 50 in fact that he declared he
! would have a hard surfaced road past
! his farm were he to live on It again,
even If he had 20 foot the greater part
| Of the bill himself.
! Mr.. Mcneil was a resident OF Greene
! county, the pioneer section Of the state
! in the matter OF graveling roads, and
( knows that they Will not stand up I'M
( der modern heavy traffic. He believes
1 that the greatest danger 10 the cause
| OF hard surfaced roads lies in the paw
ling Of portions not properly graded
| and drained, thus making an object
| lesson to which the opponent coule
! point as a failure of the whole system
and declares that when he drove his
! car up TO another just ahead recently.
noticed the number of the machine,
one away up into the hundred thou
sands, attempted a mental calculation
on what surfaced roads mean in the
| way Of economy OF time and gas, les
| sening of deterioration, etc, on all
! these valuable cars, that this alone
would warrant the expense necessary
| 10 permanent improvement Of primary
! road systems, ignoring altogether the
! many other advantages that the aver
| age man Of today comedies TO the mod
ern public highway.
A loaded wagon with team attached
! stood at the side of a freight car on
| the side track. A card on the wagon
bed bore the legend. &C kmer; Rags,
Iron and junk" In the car were sew
eral loads Of bones and scraps of iron
Mr. kmer" talks English, Of course.
| Those rnalodOrous bones were TO be
used in making sugar and candy. He
wasn't keeping at this work for TWEEN
ty-two years because he had any par
ticular liking for the job but because
! nc needs the money" Verify 1t takes
all kinds Of people 10 make a world.
There wouldn't be much Of an old bone
supply available for the candy and
sugar concern in this country if the
collection depended on the native son.
Another Sign" this one on the bull
letin board Of the Bowen grain and
coal office do not bring oats. Eleva-
tor full" The Old trouble. Can't get
grain cars, and Searsboro is only one
of many stations up and down the line
where this condition exists.
Scarcity Of cars Is not the only
source Of trouble for the elevator man
either. Manager Hesson, at Newburg,