Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-11-09

At no time in the history of West
Tennessee have its public roads, tax
ing them in the aggregate, been in a
worse condition than at the present.
A gentleman who has recently tray
eled extensively through a msjority
of the counties of this division of the
State, upon horseback and in buggy,
declares that in many of the coun-
ties the public roads are in a posi-
lively disgraceful condition, and ut
terly unfit for any other kind Of
travelling than that of horseback.
he says that our own county Of
Madison is no exception TO this rule,
and he is borne out in his statement
by the observation of our own citi-
zens from every portion of the coun-
ty. We recently heard a gentleman
of high character assert, that in his
portion OF the county very many la
dies were debarred from going 10
even their neighborhOod churches
by the utter impOssibility Of getting
about in any other way than on
horseback, on account of the impas-
sable condition of the roads.
Some of the Overseers, it is assert
ed, never work upon their roads
until just before Court, and then
just enough to escape presentment
by good nGtured grand jury; while
some allege that they cannot get the
hands assigned TO them to " come to
time" when working on the road is
the trump. The laws Of the State
are ample to compel every nam sub
iect to road duty to work, at the OPP
ton of the oVerseer, until the road
is in good condition; and no over
seer need, in any manner, exceed the
law in compelling every man TO
work upon the road.
The county of Madison, il has
been admitted, is one of the best
counties, taking it by and large, in
this division of the State. The
lands lie well, are genial and pro-
ductive, yield readily to the indus
try of the husbandman, and yet the
tide of emigration flows into coun-
ties North of us, while we receive
comparatively little of the restless
population seeking for new and
good homes; because, they allege,
the roads Of the county are so utter
ly bad as to give strangers passing
through the county an idea that our
people are shiftless, and that our
lands must be poor and unproduc-
tive, or our citizens would not b.
content with such roads to trans
port their produce 10 market.
Cannot something be done TO
change this erroneous opinion? If
our road overseers will once get into
the spirit of imprOvement-reaJ i'm
proUement they will soon see that
there will be a very great and appre-
ciable advantage in having their
roads t0eU S0OTked-ditched on both
sides and rounded up in the middle
sufficiently to carry of all the water
that the worst season may throw
upon them; and il it is once seeH
done, one day in the year-and that
at any convenient season-win suf-
fee to keep the roads of Madison
county in first rate condition.
There is no use attempting TO dis
guise the fact that a good deal of
hard work at some time to place
them in good, passable condition,
but once get them in good condition,
and they viii need no more work
for long time.
II road overseers s0iH not do their
duty, it is the business of grand iu-
rOrs to make them; and we do most
ardently hope, for the good of the
county, that the Grand Jury, at the
January term of our Circuit Court,
will have the moral courage to do
their duty, and find a true-bill
against every Overseer who has not
his road in good condition. 1t is
time to break up and dispense the
shiftless policy which has prevailed,
and still prevails in this county.