Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1883-01-27
THE ROAD LAW.

|
In the course OF Its reply it says
That the democratic party has had
control of the legislation OF the state
for ton years is not sufficient reason
for defending tho miserable abortions
called law bequeathed to them by the
republicans, and possibly also to the
latter from the primitive times before
the war;" We cannot conceive What
called out such statement as this.
Certainly the Intelligencer has nowhere
defended this law because 1t was passed
by democrats. or opposed it because 1t
was bequeathed 10 US by republicans.
We consider neither event, whichever
is the real one, of any moment what
ever. The question is, is the law a
good one If yes, let it be sustained.
| II il IS bad let it be amended, or an en-
tirely new one substituted for 1t. But
It will not do to condemn everything
that IS primitive. There are examples
of road making even older than "before
the war; that our engineers of to-day
| might study with proit-the old
Roman roads in England, France and
Italy the roads made by the Aztecs in
South America, aud others, which are
| marvels to those who see them centuries
after their construction.
The pyramids would hardly be du-
plicated to-day. and there are thousands
of stones in ruined buildings in ancient
Egypt which sny honest sngineer now
living would admit that he could nelth-
er extract from the quarry or place in
position.
1t Is quite q cheap way to obtain a
reputation for progress to condemn
everything that exists. and to advocate
change without giving good reasons
therefor. Like the Gracohi we believe
| in the improvement of the condition OF
our fellowmen everywhere; we are not
so conservative as to oppose change
| where it will be OF benefit, but we do
| not see the utility of change merely for
the sake of change.
The Times says:-"We have no gen.
eral road law worthy of the name no
provision is made by the state tor the
construction and repair OF highways
adequate to the demands OF q progress
sive civilization" Very we'll; if this
| is the case tell US how to make law
that will be worthy aud adequate. We
shall certainly second any such proPo-
sition when made, but we have failed
to see it up to this time. 1t is a very
easy matter to condemn. but when
newspapers are unstinted In lheIr con-
demnation OF law they should be pre-
pared to offer something better in It's
place.
Our contemporary goes on to say
"We are gravely told that the law as
it stands is not so bad, its defects not so
objectionable as has been represented.
Our kind neighbor then turns lawyer and
shows that the inhabitants OF any civil
township may abandon the warning III
and working out plan at their option,
pay their road tax in cash, and let the
work to the lowest bidder. The irony
OF the defense is equal to the absurdity
of the law granting local option in
road matters. The taxpayers under
stand the Joke whether the newspapers
do or not, and never stultify themselves
by asking for the privilege SO magnani-
mously granted them. Any country
mau knows, and we had supposed any
denizen OF the cities, that state roads
cannot be built by the focal option
civil township system. Nelghborhoods
may, if they choose. build or repair
their roads by contract or by their own
labor directly applied, but they, We be-
lieve, uniformly adopt the latter plan"
The law does not state, neither did we,
that ''c,vil townships have the option
OF tho two systems. 1t is the road dis
tricts which have that option. The sar-
casm conveyed by our neighbours alIu-
sion to some mysterious 'Joke" is very
line, but 1t ls too deep. We imagine
very few persons will fathom its mean
ing. We happen to have been "coun-
tryman" and road overseer in our life
as we'll as editor, and we tell the Times
that if its new road law does not Con-
aiu local option feature, it will never
pass in auy Missouri legislature, for no
law can be adopted which does not per-
nit. where they want it, the old "warn-
ing in and working out system" La
fayette county, as we'll as Jackson
county, may be ready for something
better. but there are too many counties
that are not, to permit any such altera-
tion 10 DO made in the law. Estate
roads," our contemporary says. cannot
be built by the s'local option civil town
ship system" No one is "building''
state roads that We know of, but county
roads may constructed under the con
tract system now provided, we should
think. At any rate. il the people in
every road district III the state of Mis-
souri, have the right, under the imme.
diate supervision Of one of their own
citizens, who must account closely Tor
all his acts, to have their roads worked
by contract, and still refuse to do SO,
we tail to see what would induce them
to agree to have contract work under
taken by the county or state, with the
taxes sure to be demanded from them
no certainty AS to whether or not their
money Or its equivalent would ever be
expended OIL their own roads, and It's
jexpenditure removed from their super.
vision. Further, il, as the Times says,
neighborhoods having the option ofthe
two plans uniformly adopl' that OF
working the roads "by their ow n labor
directly applied" is it not possible
that the neighborhoods know what they
want quite as well as those newspapers
which are rather unnecessarily exciting
themselves about the road law?
i Now, tho truth of the business, as
We see it, is, that the road law has it:
faults. Some OF them may be and we
hope will be corrected. But In the msir
the law is pretty much what the people