Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1920 — STATE HIGHWAY NAILED DOWN [ARTICLE]

STATE HIGHWAY NAILED DOWN

Despite Eleventh Efforts to Pull Road Via Mt. Ayr. In response to a long distance call from Senator Will Brown ot Hebron, who was right on the job at Indianapolis for the last week or more to see that no late hour at' tempt to pull the Indianapolis-Chi-cago state highway over via Mt. Ayr, was put through by default, Representative William L. Wood, F E. Babcock, E. P. Honan and Cope J. Hanley hied themselves to the state capital Tuesday night to assist in trumping the last card played by the opponents of the line directly north from Rensselaer and thence through Demotte and over the Hebron grade to Crown Point. / Whije the anticipated move was made, it was not very difficult to head it oft with the highway commission, which had already decided twice before on this route, nor with Governor Goodrich, to whom the last gun of the opposition was fired, and our committee came home Wednesday night with the assurance that the route they were for had been certified to the governor and been approved by him. This means that we get the road on the route desired and for which we have been working for as a unit from the start. It is the logical route, of course, accommodating many, many more people and having more towns and a larger and better scope of country as feeders. It is to be a great thing for Rensselaer and Jasper county; the greatest thing, in fact, in the history of our county, and those responsible for checkmating the political pull and monied interests of those seeking to divert the road from its logical course are entitled to the thanks of the people of the entire county. In this connection The Democrat wishes to especially commend the w 3rk of Senator Brown, who has been right on the ‘job all the time and has left no stone unturned to get this road. Others have expended much time and been to considerable expense also, but not nearly so much as Mr. Brown. The entire system of roads designated by the highway commission as state highways were taken over by the maintenance department April 1 and will hereafter be maintained and kept in repair by the state and at state expense. It may be some five or six years before the entire mileage in this county will be rebuilt with either a brick or concrete roadbed 18 feet wide, it all depending on the rebuilding progress made by the commission and the priority given this line, which will be the main line of travel between Indianapolis and Chicago and therefore should be among the earlier roads built. \