The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-05-09
Chapter XXI.
Dragging the Roads

fellows at Pingree and Springfield
had worked the county commission
ers in a very simple game.
Our readers will remember that in
the latter part of the winter a plan
was put into effect whereby people in
the country we're to drag the roads
free of charge to protect the invest
ment in the roads, and the county
furnished as many drags and grad
ers as they could.
The good work was started by
members of the Wapello Commercial
club, who came in and offered to drag
the roads in their precinct free if
the county would furnish them the
drags, and the plan was modified to
make it fit the whole county as well
as seemed practical. The board of
commissioners made one strange
ruling when comforting with the Wa
pello committee, saying they would
accept the free road dragging on
everything but the Yellowstone high
way and they would do that them
selves on force (paid) account They
said they could not expect the people
to keep the Yellowstone highway
dragged free and they would hire
men and put them on that. The COM
mittee seemed surprised, but &C.
copied the situation and went away
happy. There will be more about
this later.
The announcements about the free
road dragging We're, published in the
newspapers without charge to the
county, the county clerk had some
new road drags made as soon as pos
sible, and the roads of the county
were put in fine condition when
winter broke, excepting sections
which we shall mention and have
heretofore explained.
Frequent storms kept the grades
soft and it was necessary to keep
dragging the roads again, and it was
well done for the most part, and the
roads are still quite well smoothed
and grades protected.
Down in the Pingree country, be-
tween Rockford and Springfield, were
sections of road that were not drag
ged at all, and number of citizens
along the way were very pronounced
in condemning the practice of doing
road work without pay, and declared
they would not do it, and they did
not. Travellers going that way COM
planned Of the terribly rough roads,
and they dried up in that condition
that furnishes about a million jolts
to the mile.
You May Remember 1t
80
things at the time, and also published
a statement that Arthur J. Snyder,
who lives below Springfield, had
Fordson tractor and that he hitched
1t to county grader and he and Mr..
Chandler operated the machines and
dragged long stretch of road, put
ting it in prime condition and did it
gladly without cent of pay.
The county commissioners directed
the county road man, Mr.. Thompson,
to have tractors and graders put to
work on the Yellowstone highway to
put it in condition, and travellers and
farmers complained somewhat bit
terly of the continued bad condition
of the Yellowstone highway and said
that great deal of work was being
done on it and that it was not i'm
proved by the work. They said the
tractors mired down and had to be
dug out at great expense and that
the workmen left holes in the road
where they had stalled the tractors
and it seemed unaccountable that
men should go on making such ex-
pense bills when few teams work
ing on the other roads equally soft
and rough, had put them in such
fine condition.
Second Dragging of Roads
Early in April when there were
some rains, it was reported in town
that A. j. Snyder and his hired man
were seen going down the road with
the Fordson tractor bound for home,
and that Snyder was very much
peeved. On being given a chance to
express himself he said he had gone
out to drag once more that section
of the road he had treated before,
and was glad to do, but that man
living up toward Pingree came along
| and demanded the road grader, say
| ing he had an order for it and had
been authorized to use his horses to
drag that road. On being asked why
he was so insistent about getting
the grader he said he was getting
| paid for using it, The report has it
| that Snyder went on dragging for a
short time thinking it over and con-
Guided that there was some change
in the county plan and that If the
commissioners were again hiring the
road dragging done it was no use for
him to go on doing it free, and he
surrendered the grader and as was
said before, he went home very much
nettled about it.
Now that the bills for April road
work have been filed, we have ex-
amined them and find long string
of expenses for work done on the
Yellowstone highway, with bills for
tractor drivers and gasoline and re-
| pairs galore, but each voucher shows
certain items marked Shelley road"
for which no wages were paid on GER
tain three days, indicating that they
| arranged drive when all hands
work free for three days.
Paid the Pingree Man
There are vouchers on file for
dragging roads in the Pingree
country, but nowhere else. There is
some expense for filling washouts
and repairing bridges and culverts,
hut nofhipU chnuyp for Jvc ~ rr;,. or,