The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-05-11
4'fDelegation From eBecida Visits
a2 Association and Protests
>1suNew Highway Route
HIGHWAY COMMITTEE TO
RECONSIDER ROAD PLAN
Need of Good Road South to
Towns Along M. & l. Voiced
By Special Committee

AS result of the activity of
Chairman W. S. Cummings of the
lntercommunity Relations Commit!
tee, one Of the liveliest Association
meetings ever held in the city was
conducted Wednesday afternoon,
when about rs farmers from the
Becida community were guests Of
the association.
These men were guests in the
truest sense of the word and came
with purposes AS one speaker put
it; eve, have something on our
And they did.
Oratory waxed eloquently in the
halls Of the association and facts
and figures were presented by these
tillers of the soil in such a manner
that there was nothing else for the
association to do but refer the mat
ter of roads to the highway commit
tee with recommendations to do all
in their power to keep the present
road to Itasca Park as the Jefferson
or State highway to be maintained
by the state and further to secure
a shorter route to the cities by way
of Laporte and Walker.
Hugh Cooper was the first speak
er called. upon by president j. L..
EIwell. Mr.. Cooper responded in a
most able manner.
''There are three reasons" said
Mr. Cooper, "why' the present road
should be continued as state
highway. First, because of our in
terests; second for Bemidji's inter-
ests and third, for the public's in
terest.
"We have some of the finest farms
in the state along this road. The men
came to this section because of the
highway. It is our railroad. We
built this road and now that it
might be taken away of course we
are going to fight for it.
'It's to Bemidji's interest, because
we look to Bemidji: as, our city. It
is our market and. it means much
in trade to Bemidji. The making Of
this road from state highway to a
county road is an injustice to the
farmers and unfair to Bemidji.
''The, towns oppose each other IN
business. They become' Jealous OF
one another: Naturally the smaller
cities unite against the larger one,
which case is true about BemidJl
and the neighboring cities. They are
setting a trap for Bemidji and 1
want to caution you not to walk in
to the trap"
Mr.. Cooper further outlined the
danger Of permitting the road south
to Park Rapids to be designated a
state highway. 1t would not help
Bemidji, he declared, but would d.
vert traffic away from Bemidji.
Other speakers from the Becida
country were Fred Smith, Ed. A.
Meyer and l.. O. Petrie. They ably
presented their points in favor OF
keeping the present. Itasca Park
road state road and showed where
if it fell back upon the county
maintenance fund, it would not be
kept up as at present.
They pointed out that being in
Hubbard county this county would
mot be interested in keeping up a
good road for, Bemidji patronage,
but naturally would divert, if pos
sible, the trade to, Park Rapids.
County Auditor A D., johnson,
chairman of the traffic and high
way committee indicated that his
committe would do all it could to
keep up the highway as. at present
regardless of whether it would be
a state or county road.
He EXPRESSED belief that, the
present good roads would be kept
in the present good conditions and
that other highways would be made
better. He stated that it was not
the intention of either the county
or state to cut out good roads, but
to add to the present road system,
which would infer that the road
Continued on Page 81