Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1881-05-06
THE PUBLIC ROADS,

fG9ch DledScu WIFI ti duu az "'o% ~ ""'"
cd we'll. 1t was and is mot decided
Improvement npon anything Of che sort
in vogue in Seathern Maryland. The
system an uhich it is basos & the cor
rect ono and II just as muoh u an i'm
movement over the old nrs3cs, as the
maid Ere organizations II the cites Is an
iwprovemrnt orer the old veiuUtccr DIS
organizations. ": have tse corps :.
rotuIasly .s,nFts5es s''d F-~sd i"o"i''
with teams, can1p eTFurFngs &C. ana
:. ,ch corps under the eeUma0d OF a
mid sunervisor, 1rnd ala are under the
control of the Board of County Commits
sioncrs. The scheme Is about as correct
as any We can thnk Of. If there is
defect about it, 1t IS at the head. i.
seems 70 rs 1t weald be better if there
yves General Superintendent with
power to concentrate the whole force in
his disCretieS, or If necessary, at any
one point, The different corns perhaps
might Do uiore intellig'Itly and eco
nomica3sy worked in this way for the
bcncft Of ,he public at large. But for
such an office man of high order of
saicnts would be required to devote bis
whole time and energies to the proper
discharge Of the duties of his Office In
order to obtain such man a good sala-
ry would have to be paid, which might
make it more expensive than the roads
now are and would therefore be a source
sc complaint by the tax payers, who arc
always apt to grunible al anything ike
big sniarics. IL would not necessarily
follow that the appointment of such an
s.'iccr would increase the taxes, provid
I'd always that proper man was APP
pointed, ana the appointment Kept ont Of
p,jiitcs But as things are now, it is
hardly probable this would be done
At least we fear not Though it would
seem appropriate that all things should
have head to direct and assume re-
sponsihility, yet there is in this, as in
every other community, an aversion to
anything which sayors Of the one-man
power, and there are many, who think
the road system you'd work better, rs At
present constituted, with five heads than
with one, especially as each corps is To-
called to one particular section Of the
county. There is force in the position,
we admit But apart from all argu-
mcnt, we submit, that having tried both
plans, our experience with the first plan.
when Captain Page, as General Super
intendcnt, directed and had charge of
all the work on the public roads Of the
county, proved much the most satisfac-
tory in its results, so far as bene6ting
the condition Of the public roads. 1t is
true it cost more then, for tho simple
rcason outfits had to be purchased, the
new system organized, and more work
of permanent character was done than
had been done for ten years previously
or has been accomplished in twelve
years since In fact nearly the best
pieces of road now in the county are
places which were then fixed under the
personal supervision of Captain Page
But Notwithstanding all this, the pres
cnt system is good one, and all it needs
10 make it effective to accomplish much
public benefit is to have it properly ad
annistcred It is human institution,
therefore imperfect, but many of its i'm
pcrfectons might be cured, if it were
properly administered. After the rctira
cy of Captain Page and whilst the Dem
ocrats still remained in power rcspccta-
bile and intelligent farmers were Super
visors, and slowly but surely the roads /
were being permanently improved. Up
on the advent of the Republican party
TO power great change was made in
the character of the appointees. As
class, with here and there an exception.
the Supervisors were ignorant, sturil
and lazy, appointed solely from political
influences, without any consideration as
TO fitness 1t is true the Democrats ap-
pointed Democrats, aud these appointees
were sometimes ignorant, stupid and la
zy too. But these were the exceptions;
with the Republicans good and compe
tent men were the exceptions We do
not say this because the latter appointed
negroes, for one of the best Supervisors
we have had for years was Christopher
Blair, a eolored man. We state these
things as facts, which are easily suscep-
tible of proof. Under this mal-adminis-
tration, for which the Republicans are
clearly responsible, the system has been
niscrably administered, the expenditure
of money has very nearly reached the
limit of $4,000 allowed by Law. and
the roads have gradually become worse
and worse, until throughout most Of the
county they could hardly be worse if we
had no road system at all We think |
the time has come for change aud the
people should turn their thoughts in
that direction.
DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS.
Eyideatly our colored brothers of the