The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-09-30
Everybody Wants Good Roads

If the reception of the speech made
Mr.. W. C. Markham, Sec'y of the
N1Aansas Highway Commission, at the
Tuesday evening, is any indication of
the sentiments of the community, the
Good Roads Amendment which will
be placed before the people at the
polls in November, will carry by a
large majority.
Mr. Markham explained that this
amendment is really an enabling act.
It gives power to the legislature to
provide laws whereby the state may
aid to the extent of 25 per cent of the
cost of construction, not TO exceed
$4,000 per mile nor for more than
100 miles in any one county, except
in counties having an assessed valu-
alton of more than 100 million dol
lars In these counties aid may be
extended for $50 miles of road.
1t is no more than right that the
state should be in position to assist
counties which of themselves can i'll
afford to build the roads needed for
through traffic. That this demand for
better traffic conditions is here and is
a legitimate demand of the times,
brooks no discussion. By this method
the strong may help the weak, for a
highway should be maintained for the
common good. Kansas is the only
state in the Union which may not
assist the counties in road building.
Prohibition was placed in our consti-
tuition by our forefathers because
Kansas was admitted to the Union at
a period in our national history when
not only the ntion's life was being
threatened, but all sorts Of wildcat,
paternalizing schemes were being pro-
posed in many eastern states. Those
who framed our constitution wished
to safeguard US from such calamitles.
All such dangers are now long since
past and last winter the state legisla-
ture by an almost unanimous vote,
blouse 1O4 to o, Senate % to y
voted to submit this constitutional
amendment to the people. 1t is sig
nifcant that the majority of the mem
bers of the House, which voted I'M
animously for it, are farmers. If this
amendment passes, and the state IS
permitted to assist IN road building,
it means that the farmer whose lands
adjoin the highways will have much
smaller percentage of the cost to bear
whereas at the present time they must
bear it all.
If it will pay us to use the binder
instead of the cradle, it will pay US to
be able to haul to market twice as
much, twice as often as we have been
able to in the past. If the farmer
would control the market on his pro-
ducts, he must also control the condl-
ton of the roads on his way to the
market. The Kansas law gives to the
farmer the initiative in road building.
No roads can be built unless he petit
tions for them. Once petitioned for,
the public officials have their duty
clearly outlined and are given an OPP
portunity to erect a monument to
their faithfulness that will cause flu
ture generations to rise up and call
them blessed.
Upon the conclusion of Mr.. Mark
hams address, the chairman called
for discussion. Mr.. John S. Bird,
Mr.. &c. G. Cochran, Mr.. John
O'Loughlin and Mr.. E. A. Rea all
spoke in favor of the amendment.
During the discussion Mr.. E. ]. Hoch
called attention to the bad stretch of
sandy road just beyond the Schoen-
chen bridge which is in bad condition
at the present time. Mr.. H. j.
Tholen, Chairman of the Board of
County Commissioners, replied that
it was his pleasure to report that the
County Board had recognized the
need at this point and had appro-
priated $4,000 to rebuild this stretch
of sandy road with some kind OF
permanent road bottom. When this
matter came up Mr.. J. S. Bird, Chair
man of the Good Roads Committee OF
the Chamber of Commerce, called at
tention to the fact that ten years ago
no one thought anything about this
bad stretch of road because all the
roads were so bad that there wa:
nothing any better to compare with
it.
This was the most enthusiastic
Good Roads meeting that has evel
been held in Hays and everyone went
away boosting for the amendment.
Look Out for Sorghum Smut
A 4OO-ton silo exploded neal