The Winslow mail., 1921-10-14


centage of the assessed property
values.
This statement is made to qualify
the argument hereafter made. The
people of Navajo county voted some
eighteen months ago a road bond
issue of $150,0O0 Winslow gave the
largest majority for these bonds of
any district in the county. In this
bond issue $4,000 worth was desig-
mated in the call for the construc-
ton Of a highway between Winslow
and the MOqui Indian reBervation
While Winslow represented forty
percent of the people and property,
she obtained under the bond issue,
but twenty per cent, WinslOw was
broad mined enough to vote for the
bonds and vote big majority She
recognized that good roads practi-
cally located and built for the use
of the people meant for the good of
the entire county. She made no OBJ
lection at that election, nor has she
ever made any objection at any time
to the expenditure of the bond mon
ey, or any other road funds, in 9TH
er portions of the county, realizing
that such money when properly ex-
pended was universal aS> we'll as
a local benefit. Notwithstanding, the
action taken by the majority Of the
present board of supervisors seems
to abrogate the expressed rights OF
the people of Winslow They have
started out to take from the people
of WinSloW any voice in the lOca-
ton of the Winslow to Keams Can
yon road and they will succeed in So
doing if the people Of Winslow will
permit them to carry their present
plans through. In speaking of a
majority of the board of superyis-
ors no aspersions are cast upon our
local representative upon the board,
Mr. R. C. Creswell, for he has acted
Loyalty to the people of the county
but he has failed to receive consid-
Grafton from the other members Of
the board in this matter.
100000 was voted specifically und-
er the call of the bond election for
the purpose of construction road
from Winslow to the Moqui Indian
reservation line, connecting with a
government road leading to the var
ious trading posts and government
stations. The county engineer made
a survey. A board of road viewers
were sent out to view the location
Under the law, the county engineer
is the third member of the board of
road viewers. They viewed the loca-
ton and reported favorably. When
later Developments proved the i'm
practicability of the location. it was
brought to the attention of the peo-
pie of Winslow, they sought an inter
view with the board of supervisors
and a meeting was called for that
express purpose That meeting was
held in Holbrook in the supervisors
they heard the arguments of the pro-
testants and agreed that further con-
sideration would be given the matter
They agreed that following the post
ing of notices and the proper petit
ton that a new board of road view
ers would be appointed Such no
tices were prepared and posted ac
cording to law, stating that a petit
ton would be presented to the board
Of supervisors for a hearing NOvem-
Der Z, 1921. The Winslow peop.e
rightfully presumed that the matter
would be held in allegiance until such
time and that the board would give
it the consideration promised. At the
following meeting of the board how
ever, they contiued the program as
though the people of WinSlow had
presented no protest to them and
permitted the highway commission to
go ahead with the letting of the con-
tracts for the construction of the
highway as previously located. At
the time of the Winslow delegation
met with the board of supervisors
they wrote a letter to the highway
commission and called the secretary
of the commission in together with
one of the members and the commits
sion was then presented with the let
ter inStructing them to hold up mat
ters in connection with the road in
question until a new board of road
viewers had been appointed and gone
over the new proposed location 1t is
now for the people of Winslow to
protest in a stronger manner than by
just a hearing and an argument be-
fore the board.
In discussing the road location be-
fore the supervisors it was thor
oughly. demonstrated that the pres
ent location is not practical from a
road building point or a mainten-
ance proposition. The location is
through hilly ,precipitous country.
deeply SCARED with steep and mar
row washes. Many of these washes
show the action of storm waters to
be such that road maintenance is
an expensive proposition far beyond
the funds available Further than
this, the end of the proposed road
interesects the Indian reservation
line at point where it is not prac-
tlcal for the government to build
a connecting road. Major Daniels,
government agent in charge of the
Navajo and Moqui Indian reserva-
tions, stated bbefore the board that
the government would not build
to this intersection because of the
impracticability of the location and
the excessive cost of such construc-
tion and maintenance. In face of
this undisputed testimony on the