Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-02-06


was . move made In the right d.
recti0n TO macadamize the four
main roads leading into Martins
tinsburg. The Court did It's duty.
and appointed a committee COM
posed OF three from each District.
AS soon as saw the names Of thar
committee ] lost all hope or any
thing being done, and to be plain.
fer the reason that large number
of them lived along the Winchesr
ter and Potomac pike, and had
never to travel ever q road; that
Lived there man with soul so dead,
Who to himself hath never said"
d-n sucn roads; and OF course
they reported IL inexpedient for
the present, and that ended the
matter.
Farmer says the farmers pay
all and do all the labor on the
road, but In all the heavy expen-
SEES under the present system they
are not improved any. 1t seems
to me that Ii the farmers do all the
work and the roads are not Inn
proved any, that carries convic--
ton with 1t, and the farmer ID to
blame for not having better roads.
Now let us see the heavy taxea.
The Board of Supervisors at its
last meeting, levied one third Of
q mill or three cent, on one hum
dred dollars Of taxable property
Of my district. The Court at the
last June term, levied Ave cents
On the'hundred or one half mill on
the dollar. There ID four hundred
thousand dollars of taxable prep
erty In my district; half mile on
that gives two hundred dollars.
Now deduct five cents ON the dol
lar for collecting and the deiin-
quent list, and 1 will have about
$175 dollars. have under nv
super vision at least 20 miles
acknowledge that q survo
ought to grade and macadamlxe
twenty miles of road with 4l75 and
two days forced labor. say
forced labor, because the surveyor
has to warn some hands two or
three times, and then return fif-
teen or twenty delinquents. Now,
Mr.. "Tax-Payeru and Farmers
who Is to blame, the Surveyor, the
Farmer or the Court? AS the law
now stands the Court has the
power to work the roads entirely
by labor or entirely by taxes.
Farmer says they do all the work
and the roads are not Improved
any; then let the court try It by
hired labor, and see what virtue
there is In money. Lay road tax
Of q and % cents on every person
liable to two days labor, with the
privilege Of working out the same
under the directions OF the survey
or, whose certificate shall be re-
ceivsd In payment Of said tax, THAI
with q levy Of ! mill on the taxa
BILE property, and then exempt
the Surveyor from working an
the by-roads for one or two years
that are not travelled with q wagon
once In six months, and my word
for IL, that the main roads will be-
improved wonderfully. This would
suit the farmers better than the
RACuOns W0yp lOI Un0kO 10 lJV tlbkAQ
between the first of April anu the
first Of November that suits the
farmer to work on the public
roads. AS S0en as the spring
opens he commences sowing his
his oats, then blowing for corn,
then planting, then tending IL,
then moving, then harvesting and
hauling In, then blowing and
seeding, then cutting OF his corn,
and by that time the first OF No
vember il here, and II any one
will tell me when It suits the FAR
mer to work the public roads, the
Information will be thankfully ~
ceived.
/ know the roads should be
worked In the Spring, for then
we would have good roads all the
Summer. But / have never been
able to find when II suited every
body to work on them, and if the
farmers want geo0 roads let them
insist Oh the cOur. making a lib
eral levy and pay their read tax
cheerfuliy, for 1t Is the only tax
that they receive a direct benefit
from, and they gruInble more
about IL than all other taxes
In conclusion let me say that
The law makes it the duty of the
Surveyor to report annually to the
county court at the fiscal term
thereof, tho condition Of the
roads and bridges in his precinct,
the amount of money and labor
expended thereon during the year.
ending on that day, aud the i'm
provements, alterations end new
work finished during tne year or.
progress. and shall recommend in .
such report any alterations Or new