The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-01-03
"ShOrt Sighted MOrtals 7"
To tile Editor Of The <Egts and InteUgencer

To tie Editor Of The AEgis and Inteligencer:.
SIR: In your last issue, Dec. 27th, is letter
by w. s. T , of Darlington. Our first impres
sion was to pass 1t by without aging anything
because of the thinness of the cloth-so full of
holes that it will not hold water; but upon re-
Election, with our motto, "with malice toward
none and charity for ul,'' we concluded TO All
swer as best we can.
The writer seems TO be much worried about
our main road through the village. We feel
sorry. He starts out with what Darlington
roads were twenty-five or thirty years ago-lhat
it was almost impossible, in open winter time,
to get along with safety. In fact, the nuisance
was so great, that the people put their heads to-
gether and made trough pike" which, "kept
us out of the mud " We admit the previous
condition, as stated frem personal observatioin
although the writer says something about cor.
respondent who has "laiterly resided in our
midst" His intimations are such that he Is
not quite SO well posted as he mugnes. Then
he goes on to tell us that the supervisor, in
AN evil hour" came along and played sad havoc
with our beautiful stone pike, by throwing dirt,
TO the depth of 10 or IL inches 'in places" (well
putt on this delightful pike, thereby making
grand mudhole sin open winter" over this ex-
quisite pike through the village.
Let us look at the pike before the dirt was
thrown on, instead of sand, which could have
been procured by going two or three miles away.
We find 1t the most horrible road in the county,
if not in the State road that you could moi
ride or drive over without risking your life ard
the breaking down of your vehicle. Let us sec
what the result of the dirt will be in year.
For sake of argument, let us admit, that during
winter half of the lime we will have both "mud
and stone;" during spring, one-hird, and sum-
mer and autumn one-twelfth of the lime, 'mud
and stone," which makes three months of mud
dy travelling. But with the assurance of always
finding stone bottom, any place in from two
to six inches, when in olden times bottom was
rarely to be found, his horse under trying cir
cumstances plungng aimlessly about. hunting
but in vain. Well might a man think his last
had come, in riding along to find he was In a
place with no botum-rather serious indeed.
But now, with three months assigned to mud
and stone with solid bottom, so close 10 the
surface, we have nine months In which we can
enjoy the drive, without fear of breaking our
legs and necks. During the trough pike" era,
we had twelve months In each year that il would
puzzle goat to move along with decency.
We are also charged with Expressing regret
that the law did not allow such supervisors to
be elected for life" We certainly did not ex-
press regret about the law, for the law does not
prevent man from being supervisor, 80 long
as he can procure the appointment from the
County Commissioners.
We no doubt conveyed the idea-and We in
tended SO to do-that our present general SUI
pervsor was the best one the district has ever
had. We reiterate that opinion and challenge
One has but logo over the roads
and he will be convinced, that our
assertion is correct.