Washington telegraph., 1850-01-23
Mails, Road Laws, Bri lges, Etc.


| The Allure of the river mail between that
city and Napoleon has recently become
| frequnt cause ofcompla:nt. The change
from he Rockroe and White River route
20 tlS Arkansas river has proven to be
an lfudicious one, so far as it regards
regnllrisy of communication, and the
soona tits changed back again, the better
| it will lie for the interest of the public.
AS is. it may answer the purposes OF
! those residing on the river below Little
Rock but it is at the expense and injury
| of thtse, who are dependent upon the ta-
| citis afforded by that route for regu-
| lar mail Communication with the north and
east aRrevious to the change the COM
mnnication between Little Rock and the
| Mississippi was regular and uninterrupted,
but sage, Notwithstanding there has been
no scarcity ofwater The greater portion of
the rfne, it has failed to answer the pur-
| pose, and should either be abandoned as
| mpracsicable, or greatly improved.
Another thing essential to a regular
mail communication throughout the ilte-
rior Of this State, is radical change in
our road laws, and a greater degree of
liberaity Oh the part of our county courts.
The niggardly and parsimonious spirit III
which appropriations are made towards
bridging the small streams OH the most
important roads in some of our coun-
ties, is in the highest degree reprehensible.
1t is unreasonable to expect that contrac-
tors will risk their property and carriers
their lives in crossing streams, which at
small expense, could be rendered passa-
BILE at all times, with safety. The road
laws upon ourStatute book, are injudicious
unjust and fail to answer the purposes of
their enactment; and just so long as they
are permitted to exist in their present
shape, will cur roads remain unimproved
and during the winter season, almost inn
passahle Common sense and common
honesty, should teach us, that when law
operates GENEROUSLY and unjustly it
should be either amended or aboished.-
Not only do our road laws so operate, but
they fail to accomplish any good purpose.
Where Is the justice of law that COM
pells a citizen who may have $4,000
invested in slaves-say 25 hands-to per-
form 800 days work on the road, IL days
| for each hand; when n0n-residcnt who
has the same amount invested in lands,
the value of which is greatly enhanced by
the labor of the resident, contributes not
a single cent. The aesident in such in
tolheyalne Of one hundred and fifty dol
lars While the nOn-resident equally bene-
fitted does not contribute single dime.
Agaih, the poor man, who probably does
not own foot of the soil, is compelled
by this unjust law to labor II daysiu each
year to improve the roads, and thereby
increhse the value OF the non-resident's
lands Or for refusing so to do. pay fine
of $12, while the nonresident owner of
10000 acres, is not asked for cent. Is
this justice; is it right!
Are non-residents who buy up and hold
on speculation whole townships and
counties OF our best lands, entitled 10 the
protecting care OF the government, and
that too at the expense of the resident!
or rather, is not her growth and prosperity
retarded by the operation, and should not
non-residents who are proportionately
benefited, be made to contr ribute to
the improvement of our reads? What is
the paitfy amount of taxes they pay on
unimproved lands, compared with what
it would be were these lands the property
of actual settlers. Spectators keep out
actual settlers by buying up our best
lands and withholding them from market
for high price, and are therefore detri-
mental to the best interests of the State,
aud yet this onerous and unjust law pro-
tectsthem, at the expense of the actual
settler.
Bntshow, may be asked, is this evil to
be reylledied! We answer. simply by
levying an advolorem tax for road purpo-
ses, 50 arranged as 10 allow the resident
the privilege of laboring upon the roads at
a stipulated sum Per diem in payment Of
his road tax. Supervisors, or overseers
OF The, roads could be appointed in the
sanie manner they are now appointed,
andI should be compensated for their