Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-04-27

Roads.
For the Fayetteville Observer.

For the Fayetteville Observer
Editor Observer-The CEN
tennial anniversary of Ameri-
ca liberties is at hand, and du-
ring the course of the coming
summer the public mind is des-
tined to be agitated by candi-
dates for official positions, both
State and National, County
and Municipal. Already they
are beginning to manipulate,
wire-work and trigger around,
feeling of the public pulse,
with the view, if possible, to
ascertain the probabilities of
success for themselves and their
party. Great and important
questions which pertain to the
corruptions Of the government,
the questions of finance both
State and National, the pro and
cor of the ten per cent law, the
merits and demerits of the dog
law, etc. / think the subject
standing at the head of this ar
ticle should receive at their
hands a reasonable share of at
tention.
The roads Of this county are,
for a sure fact, as the years roll
round, growing worse and
worse; and to-day they are al
most intolerable. 1t is also a
sure fact that the people Of our
State must have public roads
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. upon
which to travel. They must
have them, and UiU have them, |
sooner or later.
Something, then, must be
done; and that something, be it
what itmay, will affect the farm
ers of State more than any other
class, because they, as with ref
erence to everything else, must
bear the brunt. Already / am
beginning to hear the talk, that /
there must be inaugurated a |
system of taxation for the pur-
pose of building turnpikes.-
This, then, is surely a question
of paramount Importance to our
farmers, and it certainly be-
hooves them to have it thorough
ly discussed and itically in
vestigated.
What think the candidates?
Let the people call them out on
this subject. Shall there be
inaugurated an additional sys-
tenn Of taxation upon the al
ready over-burdened tax-pay-
ing people of our State? For,
one, [ protest against it. Sure
ly some better plan can be de-
yised. l have plan, and here
with submit it:
1st. Let it be enacted by the
General Assembly of the State,
that each and every oyerseer
by the several coun-
ty courts throughout the State,
shall, for each hand upon his
road build, say forty yards of |,
turnpike, or some other definite
number of yards, making
turnpike first of the worst por-
tioG of his road.
End. Let it be enacted, that
there shall be no exemption
from liability to work upon the
public roads between the ages
of fifteen and fifty-five, exempt.
ing neither justices of the peace,
ministers of the Gospel, nor
any other digaitarIes who at
present plead their privileges.
3rd. Let it be enacted, that
every wagon and team, and all
tools. and implements, nccessa-
ry, and commonly used upon
public roads, belonging to any
farm furnishing hand for the
road, shall be subject to the or
ders of the overseer, and make
it a misdemeaEor for any per-
son TO fail or refuse to send his
wagon and team. or anything
else required by the overseer,
These enactments constitute
my plan; and ! believe if rig
idly enforced would result, in
the course Of six or eight years,
in making turnpikes Of every
public road in the State, free to
all, and upon which all could
travel undisturbed and unmoles-
ted by toll-gate keepers.
The first points out TO the
oyerseer clearly, definitely, and
precisely what is required of
him. There is no ifs nor and's
about it. He knows exactly I
what to do. Under the present
Low, thnrn iS nnthin0 fofinifnlui