Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-03-09
Roads and Highways.


Roads and Highways.
The following abstract of the Road
Law of the present session of the Legis-
lature will be of interest
1t is an important change, and one
that has been practically demanded for a
long time 1t had become almost i'm
possible to get judicious and energetic
men to taxi, willingly, the ''ofice" of Su-
pervisor, and in many instances the chief
labor of the Supervisor consisted in check
ing out on his abstract, his own and his
neighbor's taxes. 1t is notorious that dis
tricts populous, wealthy, or with roads
easily worked have been able to absorb
all their taxes as readily as others where
much more labor was required, or much
less means furnished. No scheme of ger
rymandering could equalize the distribu-
tion of the labor and tax with the work
necessary to be done.
siThe trustees of the several townships
in this State, shall have the care, super
vision and control of all public roads and
highways within their respective town
ships, except whore it belongs to some
particular person, or corporation to con-
troll, and keep the same in repair
The trustees may employ or enter into
contract with any suitable person or per-
sons to open, make, repair or improve
the several roads and highways, or any
part theoeof, within their respective town
ships, and they may authorize such per-
son or persons to enter on any lands ad-
joining or lying near the road, to make
such drains or bitches through the same
rs they may deem necessary for the ben
eft of the roads, doing as little injury to
said lands and timber as the nature of the
case and the public good will permit, and
the drains and bitches SO mode shall be
kept open by direction of the trustees if
necessary, and shall not be obstructed by
the owner or occupier of such lands, or
any other person or persons, under the
penalty of torfeiting sum not exceeding
ten dollars for each and every offense, to
be recovered at the suit of the trustees,
and applied for the benefits of roads and
highways"
All able bodied male persons, and all
male persons able to procure the labor
required between the ages of twenty-one
and fifty-fve except pensioners, and per-
sons DISABLED in the Z. S. service, shall
be liable to do two days work on the
roads under the direction Of the trustees,
or to pay two dollars in lieu of said labor.
The trustees may remit the .''polk taxi in
any township, il they choose to do so.
The Commissioners shall levy tax at
their March session, sufficient for road
purposes, and may increase the same up
to certain limit at their June session.
The trustees of any township may also
levy an additional road tax. The mon
les so levied and collected are to be paid
to the township treasurers, to be expend-
ed by the trustees. The trustees may
anticipate the proceeds of any levy by
transferring from any other fund, or by
borrowing from other sources.
The trustees shall provide guide posts
at the forks of every state and county
road, and they may not expend more than
fifty dollars in one year in providing suit
able watering places for ''man and beast. :"
Thus has passed away time honored,
but in a great measure insufficient system
Of road tinkering, to give place, we hope,
to one that will give much more of uni
formity, finish, and permanence to the
highways of our, state.
SCHOOL REFORM.
A much more needful and vital reform
than this is that of our school system.
The sub-district organizations should
be wholly abolished So long as the sup
port of sch ools was in part voluntary,
it was expedient that the patrons should
control them, but now that the common
wealth is the only patron, it is meet that
it should in some manner secure the high
est intelligence in the management of the
schools. This can never be done through
the modes now in practice. School ''ofi-
eers'' are everywhere remiss in respect
to their prescribed duties, and are gener-
ally far below the standard in almost all
that pertains to good system of schools.