The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1872-03-01
Country Roads.

One Of the greatest grievances that land
holders have to bear, says the american
Farmer, is the want of good roads. Taxes
are generally high for the very purpose Of
keeping the country roads in repair, but
there is want of capacity on the part of
those who undertake the work to do it
Systematically, or with any degree of scien-
tific skill We do not know that we can
throw any light upon the subject in the
brief space which we can at present spare
to it, and we refer to it now to put upon
record hint which we find in the German
toacn Telegraph, fromiMr. w. Brown, of New
Hampshire, which we hope may be taken
hold of and improved upon by public spiri-
ted citizens in every locality where there
is an opportunity to show humanitarian
principles. We will tell it in Mr. Browns
own words:
"a stone which had baffled number of
highway surveyors, being directly IN the
horse path, and being of such shape that
horse was liable to sustain serious iniu-
ry, yet no one cared to attempt its remo-
val A great deal of labor was spent in
covering it up, but in short time it would
reappear as bad as ever The land around
was underlaid with ledge, and here it came
to the surface. Only by great expense it
was thought could it be removed. One
morning took man with me, with pow
der and drills, and firm resolution to re-
move it at any expense. We succeeded in
our undertaking. At a cost of eight cents
to the town we removed boulder Of slate
stone weighing about five hundred pounds
| give this instance to show how little la
Dor will remove some of the worst obstruc-
lions, which have been allowed to remain
because no one had attempted removal in
good earnest"
A crowbar could be used to advantage in
raising stone out of the bed of the road,
but no one seems to consider it hia bust
ness to do it; the road,mender never
dreams that it is in his contract to attend
to it, and, consequently, year after year the
stone remains, endangering the lives of
passengers by the stumbling of their horses;
and the wear and tear to carriage wheels
is very serious.
Another very serious grievance is noted
by the same writer as prevalent in his
State-that of the running at large of cat
tie upon the highways. This is sore evil
elsewhere, as farmers in this section can
fully prove. All roads are made on land
either donated to the public, Or sold or
condemned for that express purpose, and
it has been decided, we believe, in our
courts OF law for that purpose only-the
land-holder from whom the body of the
road has been taken is still the sole owner
of the soil for all other purposes; and,
whilst he cannot do aught to interrupt the
freest travel upon it, yet any or all other
privileges belong to him, and no one has
right to turn their stock upon the road to
feed it upon the grass which belongs to
another. The evil would not be so griev-
Gus were it not for the fact that the cattle,
being thus left to roam about, when find
ing their supplies becoming scanty on the
roadside, begin to jump or knock down
the fences to get into the more tempting
fields before them, while the hogs roofing
under the best of post aud rail fences, will,
in a single day or night, do more harm to
the crop than their carcasses are worth.