The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1866-02-24
lNOIIlillllnlcateu
The Road system.

Nh. EDlToR Having learned that the
Legislature failed to pass the Bill providing
system of Road supervision for the State
Il synopsis Of which you published few
weeks since, and being OF the opinion that.
as the law now stands, the whole subject IT
Road supervision is in the hands of the
County Commissioners. propose to submit
for the consideration of the County Commits
siouers and the people Of the county sys-
TEN which. in my opinion. will secure good
road at a much less expense than the system
in operation throughout the State under the
old Constitution and Code of General Laws.
One objection to the old system is its OK.
penslveness. Its cost to the county for 1860.
rs appears by the Levy List published by
the Commissioners for that year, was SD.
900 for repairs, and Sl,25O for salaries OF
Road Supervisors-a total of S,3, 80: and
it is generally believed that the Levy will be
considerably short Of the actual expendi-
lures possibly an average of $500 for each
district or -, 700 in the entire county. If
this conjecture prove correct, the total cost
for 1865 will be- say Slj,9l0 Now in com.
parison with the expenditures under the
former system of appointments by the Com.
mssioners in vogue prior to 1854, when the
entire expense of the county WAS bat about
and should secure better roads than we have
nad and with a proper supervision of the
| repairs by competent Supervisors no doubt
it would do so, but another fault Of the last
sy m iof elective Supervisors was that
o.'er and competent supervision was not
sec red by that system. The Road Supervi
sors rs q general thing deemed their duties
discharged fully when they had appointed
their deputies and gave themselves no further
concern or trouble about the roads except to
take III TO the Commissioners the accounts
of the deputies and receive the money due
them. The deputies were left to the exer
else of their own judgment as to the amount
Of expenditure necessary and the time of
year when the repairs should be made, pro
vided the bulk of the work was done prior
to the first of October. Persons in every
district of the county will, no doubt, be able
to recall many instances of considerable re-
pairs made, within their knowledge. long af
| ter October first, REPAIRS costing the county
considerably more per day than if made
when the days were longer, and being in
most cases worse than useless when made,
bv reason Of the succeeding fall rains and
ne .rness Of winter. l have in my own mind
coad repaired extensively in November.
| five or six years ago, that has been bad
IN lch worse than ever it was before the re-.
pairs alluded to were made.
Another fault of this system was, that it
Tered no inducement, either to the elected
Supervisor or his deputy, to make repairs at
the proper time Of year, or when the expen
dture of a few dollars as a precautionary
! measure would save to the county heavy
outlay in repairing the washes accustomed by
heavy summer or fall rains. The county ap.
propriated a certain amount ct mon y for
each district which was apport'oned out
among the deputies, and which everybody
understood was to be, somehow or other,
expended, and which. if insufficient, it was
known the county would have to Increase
For the same reason there was no necessity
ap,. areh, to the Supervisors to economic in
any respect.
Space will not permit of further detail on
the deficiencies of this sys EN-. 1t will be
seen, however, from what has preceded that
these objections apply to any system Of re-
pairs involving elected or appointed Super.
visors or deputies with unlimited power to
demand payment for repairs made as and
when they may see proper TO make them
and that the only remedy for TIE evils com.
planned of in the old system is to be found
in some system that will secure
First-competent and careful supervision
Second the repairs made at the proper
time. and
Third "a limit to the outlay for repairs.
Such a system think is to be found in
the one herewith submitted, and which is
believed to be consistent with the constitu-
tiona provision which says,
"The General As emily shall provide by
law for the appointment of Road Supervisors
in the several counties by the County Com
missioners, and the number of said Supervi.
sors, as well as their powers and duties in
the several election districts in the several
counties, shall be determined by the said
County Commissioners. Art. 7, Sec. 6,
New Constitution.
The general outlines Of the plan are all
that shall attempt so give in this art c'e.-
The details to render it effective can readily
be supplied by the Road Supervisors and the
County Commissioners.
The system involves,
l. A division of election districts into
Road Districts, not exceeding three for each
election district made by the County Com
missioners with reference 10 natural bounda-
ries and equality of area.