Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1870-10-06

M1eBNxx Oh SuG cU1t - bxc - eUcct1e0 .
Dia MOI inost q yca sazssin. time and
tine erin. snsnc IT tt ojles nembcrs Of
tie Bod ~ u q those .nssesdenssl
upon them Which yss now - essphatical-
ly condemn! Yoa cannot put up the plea
of ignorance. Year By year have all the
frightfui expenditures on the roads been
laid before yoa in the columns Of the Bea-
con.
Is ID our Judgement or capacity you end
or fear h ut fault in involving the county
IN the cnovmoas expenses Of che roads -
II is the Saine Judgment and capacity that
some of YOU. and the people Of the coun-
~, rs wise and honest rs the rest Of you,
have 80 repeatedly endorsed.
You make an effort To escape this self
qualification BY attributing our enormous
appropriations and Expenditures. neG %
much TO our incspscity Or dishonesty. bss
10 "a want Of exact and E,inats scrutiny
into accounts" Or n shsst. you svads the
charge Of dishonssty BY su6ssitsHine the
no less culpablc crime Of carelsss.sss.
Gentlemen Of the Grand Jury. upon
what evidence or from what cireumssan-
oes did you arrive Al this most uncharita-
bic conclusion Did you or any of you
ever know US to pass IN unjus1 elaim
against the county? IT you did. 700 ars
sarticeps crimiais in the fraud, IN not in
forming us of the fact ut the time, and il
you did not. what have you 10 sustain
your opinion or to protect yourselves from
the charge Of indulging in groundlcss and
unkind suspicion
Would you have Us to stand suit on ev-
cry claim that is presented to us-to have
the labor and materials charged in every
account examined and valued by compe-
tent persons, at an expense to the county.
In most eases of ten times the amount in
volved ! The course adopted by Us in
such eases has been sanctioned by the ae-
ton Of this court, as far back as our knowl-
edge of it extends, rs u prudent choice
probably between disagrceable alterna-
tives, and how or why you fancicd your
selves competent to improve or condemn
it. is beyond the reach Of our imagination.
Did the accidental drawing Of your
names on the list, or the taking Of the
oath your foreman took, suddenly cndow
you with so much fancied wisdom or real
presumption 1t is with difficulty that
we can realize the fact that you are the
same men we formerly knew under your
names.
How the modest. unpretending citizen
was metamorphosed into the presumptuous
and suspicious Grand .Iuryman it is i'm
possible for Us 20 conjecture-unless be-
trayed, blindfolded and led by some de-
signing hell-weather, who likely made his
signature low down in the tail Of the pan
Ell, with the view of avoiding the ap-
pearance Of prominence in the ridiculous
transanction.
That you were betrayed, blindfolded
and over-reached is more than probable
from the above recited parts Of your re-
port, and the fact is Satisfactorily demon
strated TO US. BY the unmeaning explosives,
palpable contradictions, self-stulti6catious
and unmanly >ininuasious in che sequel.
You say that you believe THAT there is
radical defect. either in the system un-
der which the roads have been attempted
to be repaired. or in the appointment Of
unfit or irresponsible persons to the duty
Of keeping them in order, or TO the failure
TO appoint road Supervisors at ALL" This
is miserable English. but let that pass.
To what system of road repairing do
you allude in the above cited remark p
1t cannot be to that adopted by us, for in
the next sentence you say emphatically
that we pursue no system at all, good or
bad" You must have meant (if you had
any meaning at alb the system establish
ed by the laws of the State. II you allu-
ded to this, We endorse your objections to
it. The State laws on this subject are
radically and fatally detective. or they are
greatly misconstrued by our court.
In former times, The laws empowered
the Levy Court 10 commaad ~ services
Of Road Supervisors, and PLACED he en-
tire lsboring force Of the county under the
control Of the sppointees. Under this ar
rangement il was reasonable TO hold the
Levy Court responsible for neglseting
to appoint Supervisors Of the roads. q
we'll as to hold the Supervisors RESPONSE
bic for the condition Of the roads. But
these laws have long since been abolished.
The Commissioners now cannot compel any
one to accept Of a Supcrvisorship. nor can
Supervisor compel any one to labor on
the roads. The law demands impossibili-
ties Of no one. When debtor was liable
to arrest, the officer who arrested him was
responsible for the debtors body on the
day Of trial, but when the power to arrest
was abolished the officers responsibility
ceased. So with the County Commission
ers. When they had the power TO COM
pei Supervisors 10 accept and serve, they
were liable to Indictment for neglecting
TO make the necessary appointments But
when this power was taken away from
them. their liability was abolished. So
also with Supervissrs, and % With every
officer Or servant q che public. The law
gives every one al necessary power 10 &c
complish his dnty before i can punish
him for neglecting that duty. Az IA
The only means We nov have 10 secure
the services Of Road Supervisors. and the
only means Supervisors Row have 10 OBJ
tain labor on the roads is, 10 enlarge the
pay. But not haTing any money u COM
mand. resort Is had to certificates Of in
debtedness, which the lshorers are COM
pellsd - ell at ruincus discount. o. wait
ssnetinss year or longer for their pay.
ID On this account that we secure servi-
ces and labor with 90 much difficulty and
then only at very high prices. Hence
those enormous expenditures Cor road re-
pairs which you 80 emphatically denoancc.
Without Suggesting any way for us 10 avoid
o. reduce them.
"a ysa scarcely give - Zine 70 esa-
Srn1ulnfn omrne1uon m Tie eosnc;de~eN of