The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-12-17
THE PUBLIC ROADS.

country Where the roads are W0rS6>
than In North Louisiana. Wo do not
think that all the fault rests upon the
overseers and the road hnnds, though
censure. The great defect, In our
humble opinion, is Ia the present sys-
tenn. Its practical tendency is to make
people believe that road working Is an !
unjust and burdenscmo requirement,
and forms no part of their duty as cIt-
izens. The principal cause of this idea
Is this; A young man who is poor,
and hes no horse or vehicle, feels that
1t Is unjust for him to do the same
amount of work ON the public high
way as that rich farmer who has q
dozen horses and runs two or three
wagons over the road to take his pro-
duce 10 market. There is a disposition
on his part to shirlk this duty as much
as possible others are influenced to do
likew se, and thus the disposition be-
cos-es general. It hes taken hold OF
public opinion; consequently 1t Is im-
possible to convict those who fall to I
do their duty. This is the present con-
dition OF public opinion. Whether
the same Is just or unjust 1t Is not our
province to say. This we do know:
The roads are not worked as they
should be; they are almost impassabies
where the best KIM Of roads could be
made with proper work. The damage
done to horses and vehicles yearly, by
reason of the bad roads,js immense.
Yet no road overseers are indicted.
But few hands are reported fer failure
to work. With the present syStem of
road working the press mny howl un.
til they are hoarse. District AttorScys
may write informations until tiRir
pens are worn Off up to the staff, bun.
1t will all fall far short of their object,
They will never get the roads worked
any better. Some new plan must be
devised. One that will ss far as prac-
ticable eradicate the evil or defect In
the present system. 1t might be a
good idea to adopt some system by
which the people could be required to
work or pay for work, according to
their use of tho public highway MS
near ss possible. Then. it might not
be amiss to make II to Ntise interest Of
some one to have the roaais properly
prepared. Webster IsfI,0e.A ~
The Audersonville prison has just
been visited by correspondent who
found oaks fifteen feet high growing
upon part of 1t, while near tho southern
limit was thrifty cotton field. Tho
| caves in which the men burrowed arc
all gone. On the north hill, which
| sent its slope down to the south, tho
rains OF fifteen years have carried
away their roofs and have washed the
earth away until they have quilted
ravines thirty feet across at the top and
as deep, with crumbling, precipitous
sides. On the south hill, facing the
| north, the caves are marked only by
the depressions OF the ground where
! the roofs have fallen. The hollows
have not filled, and probably never
will, now that they arc covered with
the meagre grass and weeds of South
ern Georgia. The stream which was
such q horrible agent OF death is now q
clean brook about four feet wide and
ten inches deep. The sides, which,
when trodden by the feet of tens OF
thousands of men daily, were soggy
quagmire, are gaining solidity, though
still swampy, and in some places
| impossible.
Mr.. Kaufman, of the Washington
Star, is quoted AS saying; tI have Just
come back from New York, and If j
am any judge of the results of extra
VACANT speculation wo will have
another financial panic within five
years. You can't get u decent suit Of
clothes made by aE u, sort of goss. tailor
in New York spr less money than you
paid in the midst of the war, when we
were just rioting In promissory notes.
They tell me that real estate is again a
subject of speculation there, as 1t was
seven years ago, and is up forty per
cent above the highest notch at that
time. Now, business of general
character is not so good as it was a
year ago. The mines which were pay
ing dividends to a large number of
people in 1879 are not now productive,
and great deal of money which got
into the hands of the spendthrift class
through that means has ceased to ap-
pear. The Christmas trade In the out
! laying cities has begun late. We are
! rushing things again without much
!, regard for the future"
Jonathan II. Greene, once the most
notorious and successful gambler in
America, and afterwards known as
an exposer Of gamblers tricks, is now
= aged and poverty stricken in Phiia-