The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-09-21
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The Proposed New Road Law.

cf0 OF tNe campaign JOT 80 Ce1ttS'
The Proposed New Road Law.
We publish on our first page this week
from advanced sheets of the October num-
Der of the Maryland Farmer some account
of the proceedings of the State Road Com
mittee, held in Baltimore, on the 22nd of
August, with the draft of proposed law
to be submitted to the Legislature at its
next session.
This proposed Road Law, which has cost
the Committee much labor and investiga-
ton, in examining the Roads Laws of other
States, should receive the careful perusal of
every property holder in Maryland. The
proposed Act will be discussed at the next
meeting of the Road Convention which
will assemble in Baltimore OH the 10th of
October, when the members will doubtless
be glad to hear the views of persons from
all parts of the State on this important
question. While the propose Act contains
some valuable improvements over our pres
emit Road Laws, there are other suggestions
Objectionable, Sec. proposes a "labor tax
on the taxable property of the county" II
(Which tax shall be paid
in labor" or "by the payment of $1.5O for
each day of said tax" Sec. 8 proposes to
"tax all male persons over 1S years of age
not taxed by the provisions of Sec. 8, AID
physically qualified" to work two days on
the roads in each year, or be excused from
labor by the payment Of $3.50 for each day.
The plan of working out tax on the road
is a miserable expedient, and tends to fill
the roads with unwilling laborers who will
shirk the work, not giving the public for
$3.50, the value of so cents. The PROPOSE
ton to lay road tax on non taxables is
impracticable if not in conflict with that
provision of the State Constitution which
forbids the assessment of capitation tax
There is no way to collect such tax. You
cannot compel man to work, and if he
has no property you cannot collect the tax.
The Act proposes to levy this capitation
tax on minors, too, which would be espe-
eighteen years of age but who have not
attained their majority. This feature will
not answer, and will meet with universal
disapproval. In Sec. 4 eight hours are de-
clared to be days work. This is very
vagne. Is an hour or more to be deducted
from the middle of this period of labor for
noon or is the eight hours to be devoted
to labor, exclusively? A pair of horses or
oxen, a pillow or scraper, cart or wagon in
use, are all placed on an equality as to
value, each constituting day. 1t would
appear by this apportienment that pair
of horses, pillow or scraper, and driver
would constitute three days; for no one,
except the driver, perhaps, is of any use
without the three combined. This point
needs clearing up before it is engrafted into
law.
The two fundamental principles to sue
cess in every enterprise are lost sight OF IN
a great measure, in tits proposed Bill
These are a knowledge of the work to be
done by those employed to execute it, and
the obligation to perform it faithfully
Every man of observation can bear witness
that not more than one or two in a hundred
who attempt to keep roads in order under
stand the first principles of the work they
are blindly attempting. In order to have
roads approximating anything like perfec-
ton, man with some knowledge of engi-
nesring must direct the work. The work
must be done like all successful public
works, by contracting parties, who under
take to perform certain stipulated con-
tract in specified manner, for specified
time. And having entered into bonds to
do the work, the men to be employed and
the teams and tools are to be entirely in
the hands of the contractors. Let the
county road officers make the necessary
survey of the county roads and divide them
into districts; have the specification for the
work drawn up by competent engineers,
and the roads awarded to the lowest con-
tractors, who shall give bonds to put them
in order and keep them up to that stand
ard for certain specified time. Then let
the work of these contractors be subject to
the decision of competen inspectors who
shall countersign all supervisors drafts on
the treasurer before payment for the work
shall be done. Similar practice is pursued
every day by contractors who build bridges,
put up public buildings make turnpikes
railroads, etc. etc. In fact all great public
works are done under this system, except
making and repairing county roads. Under
such a common sense system our county
highways would become in ten years, roads
that it would be a pleasure to travel on.
and we venture to predict, at not over three
fourths of their present cost. If one third
or fourth of the county roads now open
were closed up and the remainder put in
the order they should be, and kept so, the
public would be immeasurably better ac-
commodated. Many of our most used
highways are located entirely wrong, and
if made in the proper place and kept in the
proper order, the value they would add to
real estate is incalcuable.
Mr.. Constable, President of the
"black- republican club of Ekton, in the