326 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
are now Clamoring for more than the state can supply, and the sys- 
tem adopted there is being copied more or less in various states of 
the union. 
STATE AID IN MINNESOTA. 
At the last meeting of our legislature Mr. Douglas, of Clay county, 
introduced a bill for the amendment of our constitution which will 
permit the state to aid in the building of wagon roads, and the 
adoption of that amendment will be submitted to you at the next 
state election,and I am glad of this opportunity to explain its pur- 
pose in order that you may vote intelligently upon it next fall. This 
amendment first provides for the establishment of a fund tobe 
known as the state road and bridge fund, by using the income 
derived from investments in the internal improvement land fund, 
also all funds accruing to any state road and bridge fund, however 
provided, and also by a tax levy upon all the taxable property of 
the state of not to exceed in any one year one-twentieth of one mill. 
Thus you see but a small portion of the fund will come from the 
country districts—less than one-quarter of one per cent of the 
general tax, and none of the internal improvement fund. The 
amendment also authorizes the appointment by the governor of a 
state board, to be known as the state highway commission, consist- 
ing of three members, who shall perform the duties of their 
office without salary or any compensation other than personal 
expenses. It also provides that no county shall receive in any 
One year more than three per cent nor less than one-half of one per 
cent of the total fund expended during the year, and in no case 
shall more than one-third of the cost of construction of any road be 
paid by the state from the state fund. This amendment beinga 
constitutional provision of course does not go into details, but the 
purpose of it is to institute in Minnesotaa system of state aid 
similar to that which has given such excellent satisfactionin New 
Jersey. 
STATE AID VERSUS STATE CONSTRUCTION. 
And here I desire to call your attention to one thing, and that is 
that under this amendment to the constitution it is not proposed 
that the state shall ever build a single highway anywhere, 
In view of the dangers of extravagance and corruption so fre- 
quently attending the carrying on of public improvements by state 
and national authorities, and which were probably the principal 
causes of revolution against the making of internal improvements 
by the state; and in recognition of the policy of our government to 
relegate to the local authorities, as far as possible, the control and 
management of affairs of local interest; it seems to many that the 
plan of state aid, as distinguished from construction by the state, 
is a safer course than to return to the original practice of construc- 
tion of highways by state officials. State aid as distinguished from 
construction by the state is the miadle ground between the old 
method authorizing. the state to carry on the work and the more 
recent practice of absolutely prohibiting the state from being a 
party thereto. I am disposed to say that the state should actually 
