Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 April 1919 — SHOULD WITHDRAW PETITION [ARTICLE]

SHOULD WITHDRAW PETITION

Petition for State Road Was Inil*ro|M*rly Filed Under New Law. The Rensselaer Republican, which expects to benefit very largely in a financial way in the publication of the medley of stone road petitions being filed in Jasper county under the country unit law, well knowing" that nearly all of these petitions must of necessity be turned down, says that the new road law is a humdinger. It certainly is, so much so that the governor seriously considered calling a special session of the legislature to straighten the matter out, and he may yel have to do* so. Many clarifying amendments to the law that were passed and which should have been incorporated therein were not in the bill signed by the governor, and the matter is so muddled up that no one seems to know just where they are at, not even members of the legislature who passed the law, as stated in Saturday’s Democrat, and to which the Republican takes • exceptions.

In proof of this statement we have only to point to our own Representative W L. Wood —and Mr. Wood is no worse off than dozens of other members Who “thought” they knew something about the law. Mr. Wood was largely instrumental in the circulating and filing of a petition in this county for a north and south highway through the county under Uhe “county unit” law, but in which it was expected we would receive state and national aid in building—in other words that it was to be a state highway, or a part of a trunk line road connecting both north and south with a state road. Mr. Wood said this was the proper method to pursue, and The Democrat does not question his honesty of purpose in the least, for he, as does every one else, wants to see a state highway north and south through Jasper county. Yet it transpires that the county unit law applies only to roads

built wholly by the county and net to the so-called state »oads —those -rd out by the state highway commission and built Jointly by the county, state and federal government. * For the latter roads no petition whatever is necessary, as the matter is wholly in the hands of the state ‘highway commission. Of course we can ask the state highway commission to consider the advantages of our proposed route and can send a delegation down to Indianapolis to present our claims,, but -no petition is necessary nor does the unatter come before the county commissioners at all. Hence, Mr. Wood was very much wrong in his understanding of the matter and the petition filed here under misapprehension should be withdrawn before any action is taken by the commissioners. The commissioners rule on the public utility of roads petitioned for under the county unit law, and we all know that Jasper county alone cannot build this road at its own expense—at least It should not do so —and it does not appear to The Democrat that it would look well to ask tiffe state highway commiS; sion to lay out a road through Jasper county that ouy own county commissioners had gone on record in saying is "not of 'public utility.’ The muddle in the matter in the case of township roads was such that—the attorney-general—who has about as much legal ability as the ordinary backwoods Justice of the peace—was called upon .for an interpretation of the law, and when his first opinion did not clear up the situation at all he was asked for a second interpretation which Would be in line with the desires of the governor. He then reversed his former opinion, and would no doubt reverse himself again if the governor requested it. Of course, the Republican will get from S2O to S3O publication fee out of every county unit petition filed, and the more the merrier. It doesn’t care a rap whether the roads are ever built at all, Just so it gets its fee. But The Democrat tfants to see some state roads built in Jasper county, and it does not think it the proper thing to exhaust all our means in building county unit roads, at the expense of the people of the entire county, that are seldom used and benefit but two or three people.