Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-03-22

tNOAMG&t@AAGD
.Nessrs. Editors :--I have read seve-
raj Suggestions and plans published in
recent Issues Of the BEAcoE and dis
cussions thereon, an iooking to the in
sugursffon Of . better system Of public
roads. but they all seem TO me oignore
one rery important fact, VIE: that road
mending IL . science. Of sufficient im-
poFtance to be elassed with any other
sciences, and ss such something TO be
studied and learned. and which requires
a previous training. m you employ a
novice Of = carpenter or one who does
not understand bis Business to build you
house, he n sure 10 give you bad
job, and it Is so IN mending the public
roads. IL the roads are given TO men
without reference TO their engineering
ability, but merely because they are
heavy taxpayers and can give the ne
cessary boad, we shall often have bad
roads and the county's money viii be
expended without. in many cases. re-
ceiyiHg proper equivalent. The pre-
sent road law for this county has many
Objectionable features, some Of its pro-
visions being almost If not quite imprac-
tIcsble. The one requiring the reads
TO be cut up into so many sections
causes much embarrassment and Is des-
tructiye Of all uniformity, because II
necessitates the appointment ofso many
contractorsor supervisors. Where there
are so many appointed under such cir
cumstaDces there are sure to be some
who have not given that attention and
study TO the art Of road mendins
which proper execution Of their trust
would require. In my opinion, one su-
pervisor for each district; one man
whose duty it would be to give his
whole time and attention to his bust
ness would be superabundance. As
good roads are one Of the great essen
tial requisites to prosperity and conve-
nience, il is 10 be hoped Cur Legislators
will not fail to give US a road law which
viii be great improvement on the pre-
sen. Objectionable system.
Since writing the above, ! have read
the communication of G. When in
my first letter on the subject OF intern
perance as connected with local option
quoted Prot. Smith as saying. that
"alcohol was the great enemy of man
and vicegerent Of the devil" &c., G in
his reply thereto admitted this authori-
| ty as the highest. But Notwithstanding
this important admission and the further
admission that the excessive use Of spir-
ituous drink is curse, he advocates the
keeping open Of all the present avenues
and facilities for its procurement and
sale, upon the specious plea that il
brings in revenue 10 the State, as IL a
little revenue IS worthy TO be weighed
i'm the balance with human life. Think
if G will take as much pains to estimate
the cost Of trying ofenses against the
law, superinduced BY free use ofsPir-
ituous drinks at public places, as he
seems to have done TO inform himself oil
the strength Of the local cptionists, he
will find that said cost will scarcely be
overbalanced by the revenue accruing
10 the county from license for its sale.
But g tells Us that "if local option
passes. the money we pay for whiskey,
amounting 10 an immense sum, will be
carried out Of the county. and as money
is the great motive power that keeps all
machinery in motion We should endea-
vor TO keep it in our midst" Is this
money now retained Do not The mer-
chants have to pay for the whiskey
which they bring into the county
How then can il be retaineds Here
enc most important fact seems 10 have
escaped even the penetrative mind OF
G; or il not so and he imagines he can
by has sophistry convince the people OF
sgch an impossibility as that the money
which the merchants pay for sp,rituous
liquors is retsined by them, he must in
deed have very poor opinion OF their
intelligence, or else places higher es-
innate upon his own intellectual pow
ers than any orator or logician. ancient
or modern, ever claimed. The only
amount that could be retained would be
the profits arising from Ms sale. which.
alter paying expenses, would amount 10
small sum.
Here have an explanation to make.
When j stated in my last communica-
ton thatby sending TO the city for wbis-
key we could get .purer and better ar
ticle for less price, meant no refiec-
ton upon the honesty or integrity OF our
merchants. but the expression escaped
Isie in the hurry of writing without COM
pretending its full import.
Since local option, though developing
great strength ia the Legislature, has
recently been defeated in that body and
we are TO be deprived Of this important
auxiliary, il is plain that the friends of
Temperance will have to depend, a. least
for the present, exclusively upon other
or more moral means for the advance
'menf OF their cause. In this connec-
ton, il is encouraging to reflect that all
those who have taken part in this dis
cussion admit the baneful and injurious
effects and consequences Of an immod-
crate use Of intoxicating drinks, and
this think il an important point gained.
There il therefore no reason for despon-
dency on the part Of the friends oftem-
perance. but rather encouragementto