Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1883-06-22
ORR ROAD SYSTEM.

ORR ROAD SYSTEM.
Nav that the roau corps have gone t.
work, We hope they will exercise sucl
Industry and intelligence as will give u
f"ads which not only will be free from
Puts in the dryness Of summer, but viii
set run into ruts at the first big haul ia
winter.
Our heighbors Of the Times publish
~ leader some weeks ago severely
snimadverting upon the management Of
eHr roads, and appealing TO the citizens
efthe county 10 elect men for the legis-
lsture who would remedy the evils Of
scr system. or 10 have a meeting and
Memorialize the legislature to give us
some relief The Times further gave
come history Of the development Of our
present 81 stem Of road supervision, and
same OF Its structures upon the working
II this system we're not without iustili-
sation. But in all fairness TO the Re.
publicans Of Charles county we cannot
go that they are responsible for this
system, although the Commissioners
might, in some instances, introduce
Better methods Of work. 1t il the sys-
sem. with its msthols, which was be-
qneathed to them by Democratic prede-
eessors in Office by the enactment Of
Democratic Legislature. and we are credi.
bly, informed that the Democratic ap
pointees were not a whit more industri
Gus or more intelligent that they had
no higher knowledge Of civil engineer
ing than many Of their Republican sue
cessors, albeit some of them are and have
been "black
Under any system Of road building in
this county. conducted on purely bust
ness principles, the majority of the la
borers employed would be colored men,
a. they constitute at present, the "la-
boring class here; and if colored men
can be found Of sufficient reliability and
intelligence, and we think there are such
in the county, there can be no valid OBJ
jsetiOn to appointing them supervisors
II is possible to point to some road beds
which have been made under the direc-
sion of colored supervisors quite equal
10 the best roads made under the pres
ont system or under the old system in
vogue before Capt Page had charge
As to the roads made and repaired by
Mr.. Gibbons during his supervisorship
IN the Bryantown district, they we're
equal to any roads not turnpike or she'll
ed
But the working of one party or
one set of supervisors does not excuse
the ignorance and incompetency Of an
other and different set We do not ad-
vocate the appointment of unfit or in
competent men for any Office or work.
and we will join the Times or any one
in any well directed effort to secure
good roads, believing that good roads
are great aids to the development Of
the resources of any county We al
ways did think the Page system was the
best we have ever had, and that under
che skilful direction Of Capt Page we
would, ere this. have had roads-genu-
inc roads all over the county, which
with intelligent supervision could be
maintained at small cost. The Page
system was abolished by Democratic
legislature while the county was repre-
scented at Annapolis by Democrats. and
some people had the boldness to state.
at the time the change was made. that it
was brought about by local political
pressure, to give the party larger aud,
so to speak, more diffused county pa
tronage. Should the Democrats re-
main in power next winter, as has been
the case every session since the Page
system was abolished, they could not
do better thing for the county, posi-
bly,. than to restore that system or some
other equally as good and effective, and
We will sign a memorial to this end.