The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-12-30
POLITICIANS NOT NEEDED.

which will confront the legislature
converting in St. Paul next week will
be the drafting and adoption Of such
ILLS as will be necessary to make eff
fective Amendment No. /. There have
already been some sharp preliminary
skirmishes in regard to the highway
LEGISLATION. The chief bone of conten-
ton at the present time is the office Of
highway commissioner. There has
been a demand from certain quarters
to abolish this office and have COM
mission of three, five or seven men,
bers appointed.
The country press has taken de-
cided stand on the question. We have
not found any exchange advocating a
commission and scores Of them are
strongly opposed to making any
change at this time in the administra-
ton of the highway department.
These same papers were among the
most strenuous advocates of Amend
ment No. l which never would have
been adopted in the rural districts
without their support The people Of
these districts want and must have
good roads. They will not forget nor
forgive the man who willfully does
anything to muss up the road program
that has been planned to especially
benefit and develop the rural commu
mites.
Ignorance is no excuse for violating
the law. We will not excuse our rep
resentatives in the state legislature if
they unknowingly vote for bill that
will put our highway department in
the hands of politicians who will al
low graft to creep in and thus corrupt
one of the most important depart
ments of the state. Find out who is
sponsoring the commission idea
where did it originate? There are
number of sincere men who honestly
believe that board OF three, five or
seven members would make a better
executive head for the highway de-
partment than one man. With these
people we have no quarrel but we be-
lieve that some of the first advocates
of the commission plan were not dis
interestedly working for the welfare
of Minnesota. Who is favoring this
change in the executive office Of the
highway department? 1t is not the
division nor the county engineers. Men
such as these engineers who have a
~ professional reputation to make and
sustain, desire nothing more than good
working conditions, and they would be
among the first to protest against
Encouragement of the department.
The boards Of county commissioners in
nearly every one of the SO counties of
the state are opposed to abolishing the
office of highway commissioner, and
these men would certainly be strongly
opposed to any system that would per-
nit of the loss of funds which should
be spent on the roads in their counties.
In fact practically all the men who are
really in a position to know how the
highway department is functioning
at the present are opposed to the COM
mission plan.
Finally there is Charles Babcock to
be considered. He is in rather deli
cate situation. It is difficult for a
man to advocate the continuance of an
office Of which he is the occupant, but
Mr.. Babcock is a big enough man tt
subordinate his personal modesty tt
the exigencies of the situation. HI
has been with the highway department
for eleven years, serving as one Of {
board of three commissioners for eigh
years and as the commissioner since
1917. Mr.. Babcock knows more abou
the highway department than an!
other man in the state Of Minnesota
AS the Detroit Record remarks
Amendment No. l is his child and i
would never have been adopted las
November if he had not worked TO
months travelling to every corner o
the state explaining the amendmen
and urging the people to vote for il
Now Charles Babcock would be tn
last man in the world to seek to fl
position which was too big for him
He is not a rich man but has goo
business ability, and so far as financia
considerations are concerned he doe
not need the job of highway commits
sioner. He is not politically ambi
tious. He is nightly much intereste
in developing the highway system 9
Minnesota and let US give him chanc
to do his work. Last year plans fc
$18,OO0,000 worth of work wer
through his office. Also there wa
turned over to his department $4,000
900 worth of surplus war materia
Mr.. Babcock and his assistant
handled all this in an admirable mai
nor MT one word Of criticism heir