Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1920 — WOULD LAY IT ALL TO POLITICS [ARTICLE]

WOULD LAY IT ALL TO POLITICS

But Fact la, Politics Failed to Pull State Highway West. In speaking of the failure of the political manipulators of Newton county and west Lake county to pull the north and south state highway off the logical route north from Rensselaer and take it over west via Mt. Ayr and within a comparatively few miles of the Illinois state line, the Morocco Courier says: The system of state highways or federal aid roads provided for by the 1919 legislature, have been designated by the state highway commission and were approved by Governor Goodrich last Saturday. The one road in which nine-tenths of this county was interested, that from Rensselaer to Crown Fbipt, which many hoped would come west through Mt. Ayr and then north, has through political manipulation and coercion been designated straight north from Rensselaer to Hebron, then west to Crown Point. The selection of this route was purely and simply brought about by a political pull, which, we regret to say, received the support of some in this county, and we will have more to say concerning this in the future. The loss of this road, which meant a great deal to northern Newton county, can be attributed partly to the failure of those in this county to pull together. Jasper county staked their all on the one route and worked for It as a unit, and success has rewarded their efforts.