The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1869-12-18
For the Baltimore County Onio
Oitr ROUd LutO.

OUF IlOUU LuW.
AS the prcsrnt road law is imperative in sone
sections OF our county; operates in some to the
injustice OF Others produces such general dissat-
isflction among the people because of the advan-
tages the wealthy districts have over those OF
less wealth, in that all the road tax collected is
the wealthy districts is spent upon their roads,
while they have turnpike roads on many of their
thoroughfares, thus giving them fewer miles OF
road with more tax to keep them in good repair,
when the districts less fortunate in wealth and
turnpikes are compelled to keep more miles OF
road in repair with less funds, and is unpopular
in consequence Of the cumhe: some machinery
quired to execute it, il becomes the delegates OF
our county TO the legislature shortly TO convene
to take sone steps and make strong efforts to
remedy these evils in the law.
1t is manifesuy unjust to compel the upper dis
tricis to keep their roads in repair, receiving no
aid from the lower districts when the upper dis
tricts have fewer or no turnpikes, supported by
corporations, with more miles OF road and less
taxes to keep them repaired, when these same
upper districts are compelled to bear their share
OF county expenses in every other department of
county government
| They are taxed equally with the districts in
the vicinity of the city to support our county
court at an expense Of $50, 900 per annum while
| their requirements for court are but trihe
| compared with the demands for court in the
lower districts. They have to bear their share
of Jail expenses, sheriffs fees, orphans court,
judges and commissioners of the county, together
with every species of county expense. Why not
have the 9th district pay so much Of the States
| Attorneys fees as is consequent upon the crimi
| nal business OF that district, and make the 9th
district do likewise Why no: make the 9Th dis
trct pay so much OF the judges salaries as is
| sequent upon the court business from that dis
| trct and have he 81 DIST do likewise The rea-
| son is us plausible in the one case in the other.
| The principle is IS fair in the one case as in the
! other Why not have Il separate court and
States Attorney for each district? In short, why
not have district court system as well as dis.
| trict road s, stem
This is a source of great and well founded dis
satistac ion, ppivadine all class of the people
! This is an evil that calls for remedy at the
hands OF our legislatures at its next session. In
cident To this is III tact thai the policy has been
inaugnratrd and put partially into practice, by
means of which the wealthy districts have become
i welded to the present system to certain extent
They my be unwlin. TO relinquish it now
notwithstanding lis hardshps to those district:
OF less wealth They will be all the more un.
willing to yield any thing upon this point be
cause the 9th district, 'ors instance can in meas
IRE MacadamiZe their roads that are not at pres
ent turnpiked, for the Is cents on the $l00.-
The, are opposed to having a portion Of tha
! suis,rIcled to be applied to the roads in SOM
other districts having more mills Of road, iewe
or no urnpikes, and not half or quarter tn
amount OF wealth. While it would take per
haps 20 or 25 cents on the 500, in the 10Th o
4th districts 10 keep their roads in even a pas
sable condition, il works grea, hardships Il
those districts TO keep their roads in order nm,
then pay II toll for travelling over the turnpike
of the OH district.
u Any one can see the ftlse-enerprise policy o
its operations AT a glance If no one has an in
teres outside OF his district in the condition q
roads, push the matter TO its logical sequence
then every man will he compelled to keep th
road touching his farm in repair-no one els
would have any interest in doing it, The indi
vidual who happens not to touch the public roat
would not he called upon TO contribute. Yo'
say this would lie unjust, because he has to trave
and should help to keep il in repair We gran
the argument and then apply it to the county. =
= 1t is as good argument FOR the county system a
ID for the district system Some people we lea
have IA mistaken notion about the purpose an
use OF districts i'll county. | istrlctS, as we ur
, derstand them, are divisions OF a county, locate
for the purpose OF elections, in order that th
polls may he convenient to voters. They are nc
created for the purpose of creating in their bod
! district government OF any kind, separate an
, different from that in the county or any part
it. Magistrates are appointed in districts fo
convenience 10 those requiring their services
but their jurisdiction extends over the comfy
/. The same is true of constables The school sy.
tenn is conducted upon tax levied equally owe
the county without regard to districts, (wh
not have a district school system?) but its mar
agement is divided into districts for convenience
Let US have road system supported by cOul
ty tax and conducted by district management