The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-12
JUBILANT over
COUNTY'S VOTE
ON ROAD BONDS
william E. Whiteside Comments
Upon Majority Cast for High
way-May Start June 1.

voters Oh NUN 4S4aAA OooAN@
PLAYED great broad streak Of COM
munity pride yesterday when they
authorized the issuing of $1,000, 600
bonds fer hard roads in the county.
That pride is unconquerable:
has never failed to manifest itself
in support of any meritorious prop
osjtion when the issue was prop
erIy presented. William e. White
side. the indefatigable president
of the Rock Island County Good
Roads association, laid his carns |
on the table. No individual or SET
of individuals was inflated by the
association with extravagant prom
ises; the good roads program was
presented as proposition tor the
good of the entire community. ana
the broad way in which it was pre-
scented won the day. The taxpayers
were told that it would cost them
money. vet that did not stIf1e that
old pride.
The bond issue carried by mar
gin of approximately 1000. This
count may be cut down or increas-
ed after the official canvass. but
IL is SaIG 10 Say ludI II uoo Va ~ =
by a comfortable margin.
The money raised by the sale CT
bonds will pay for II miles of hard
roads in the county. About thirty
five miles will be constructed in
the upper end of the county and
about forty-two in the lower end.
Begin June l.
Mr.. Whiteside announced this
morning that he thought it would
Je possible to dispose of the pre-
iminaries in time TO begin work
N the grading by June l. By next
fall Rock Island county should be
practically out of the mud.
The roads are so routed that they
will be convenient to every farm in
the county and connect with arter-
les of traffic to the shipping points
and cities.
There will be no difficulty in dis
posing of the bonds, according to
Mr.. Whiteside. Paper of this char
acter always finds ready market.
Employ Local Men.
Perhaps the most gratifying fea-
ture of the splendid victory is that
the road construction will give en-
ployment to many men of the coun-
~. Approximately 100000 will be
expended for labor, and only local
men will be hired for the work.
Scores of men will probably be
making the dirt fly by June 1.
The voting of the bond issue will
cause to be added to taxes of prop
/ erty owners the sum Of 20 cents on
each 500 assessed valuation in the
! city. 1t will add about 2-3 cents
an acre to the taxes of the farmer.
In only one district in the county
did the bond issue fail to get the
proper support, and that was in the
lower end of the county. Returns
from this territory were among the
last to come in, yet there was never
any Coubt as to the issue being
carried after the first few returns
from the city precincts were re-
ceived.
Community pride was the biggest
factor in putting the proposition
across. No individual or set of in
dividuals will benefit directly by
the road improvement, but will
work to the prosperity of }the en-
tire community, according to one
citizen.
The proposition was given the
biggest boost in Coal Valley, due
perhaps to the activities of local
union 362. United Mine Workers of
America. through Rudolph Knapp.
who made personal appeal to the
miners : all voters of the county
in favor of the issue.
Rock Island county has showk
by most pleasing majority that
ii wants good roads and intends to
take its place with the surround
!, ing counties in the matter of high
way improvements" said William
E. Whiteside. president of the Rock
! Island County Good Roads associa,
ton. when he was assured that the
81 100000 road bond issue had Sc
cured the approval of the voters.
Continuing, Mr.. Whiteside said:
The Rock Island County Good
| Roads association has served a
most useful purpose. The goal that
this association set for itself when
it organized about five months ago
has been gained and only because
of the splendid efforts of the asso-
citation and the generous cocpera-
ton OF the. press, the public and
all organizations of the county.
Representatives were selected from
every township to this association
and the members earnestly went to
work in the preparations of road
: plans and in dispensing informa-
ton to the voters.
1T was realized at the start that
the bond issue proposition faced
terrific odds because of the finan-
cial depression and of the increas-
| ed taxes in the county, but the
! voters have realized that the road
: taxes are an investment and not
an expense.
Il want to thank everybody who
; assisted in bringing about the ia
vorable vote, especially the news
papers and the Chamber of Com
; merce road committees of Rock Is
( land. Moline and East Moline. the
: Rotary and Kiwanis clubs of the
three towns. the Moline Clearing
: House. and the Eagles lodge and
. other fraternal organizations. and
= especially do l want to give credit
to Mr.. Sala Of Rock Island, Mr..
Mitchell of East Moline, and to that
: great organizer, Ralph Lourie of
Moline.
Thanks Workers.
Il also want to thank the work
ers everywhere in the county who
nave helped to make il nossibIa for