Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-03-21

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: BW We give place in our columns this
week-soa communication upon the subject
of the Public Roads. Whilst we assent to
the,generai propositions Of the writer, we
do not wish to be understood, by our ST.
lence, as sanctioning their application, to
their full extent, to our county We ad-
NIT that owing to its climate, its soil, its
Observation-Disclosures sparseness
of its population, and other causes, the
South is behind other sections of the coun-
try in this respect. Since the year 1858,
however, in this county public attention
has been directed to the matter, an entire
ly new system Of repairs adopted, as much
money appropriated by taxation as our
people could reasonably bear, and gener-
ally, throughout the county, our roads have
been much improved. So far as the road
specially referred to by the writer is con-
cerned, less has been done upon it than on
any of the main thoroughfares of the coun-
ty. Indeed, all the roads of the second
district, from some cause, exhibit less gen.
eral improvement than in the Other dis
tricts. Necessary allowance must be made
for winter weather, too. Last winter the
roads were comparatively good. This
winter they have been, in consequence Of
the continuous bad weather, worse than
we have known them for years. From the
character of our soil this will have neces-
sarily to be endured, until they can be per
manently improved. We must do our Su.
pervisors and County Commissioners the
justice to say, that we get from the former
the benefit of the money appropriated by
the latter, which is as much, as we have
before said, as our people can reasonably
raise by taxation.
In this connection we will say to oul
neighbor of the Hitatiagtonian that he il
mistaken in his remarks, in last weeks is
sue, to the effect that we had commenced
IN attack on the road authorities of oul
county, following his example. He must
have gotten the impression from the Cal
cert Journal, which attributed his structures
upon the subject to US. Our neighbor must
post himself in regard to the facts before
he comments on the subject again. Oul
roads were bad this winter, it is true, but
not in consequence of neglect in the sum
mer, as he asserts. For seven months il
the year, at least, we have Supervisors and
hands continuously at work. That the
roads will not remain firm during the
freezing and thawing of winter, is no fault
of theirs. That can only be remedied by
polling or travelling. In time, as our roads
are improved SO as to require fewer repairs
they can be gravelled where necessary
But to undertake it at once would require
an outlay of money which our people could
not sustain. If thought our neighbol
was only Influenced in his structures upon
MS by desire to make capital roads, and
not some other capital, we should be con
tent to submit to them but, as it is, W.
distrust his efforts in that behalf
The late civil war, by reason of its in
terruptions in their repairs, and their hard
usage by the army wagons, left our road.
generally bad, and in many places impass
able. The old mode of repairing witt
transient labor, at remote intervals, anC
with hired teams and implements, was con
tinued for several years at a considerable
expense, but it was found NO permanent
Improvements was made. This led to leg
islation ON the subject IN 1885, which Fl
naIly resulted in the present system. I'm
der it permanent laborers are employed
who thus acquire skill in the work, unde
Supervisors who have acquired experience
in the matter, and with teams and nipple
ments owned by the county. With sui
fcient expenditure of money, we coule
make our roads good in short time. Blu
that is not practicable in county wit
400 square miles of territory, or over, ant
with a population of only some 10000, o
which less than 5000 are Writes, who com
prise the taxpayers. The war left then
with their property deprecated in value
and their incomes reduced. The presen
system combines greater efficiency wit
.ess cost than any we have ever tried.
continued and properly administered, a
heretofore, we shall soon have roads tina
will not be behind the age, but up with an
suitable to the requirement of the times.
We shall be glad to hear from the write
of the article in question again. He write
intelligently, and as one having experienc
on the subject.
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wNews reached our town on Monda
that, owing to the appearance ofsmall-po
cases at Leonardtown, the Spring term G
the Circuit Court Of St. Mary's has bee
adjourned One report says to the frs
Monday of May, and another to the frs