The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-07-25

Supervisors who know their bust
ness, and secondly, to hold them to
a strict account for the condition OF
the roads.
Our statute is defective in that il
lacks specific directions to Super
visors. But there is enough law for
a Supervisor who knows his duty
and is disposed to do it, and the law
as it is, might be sufficient if the
County Court was disposed to hold
Supervisors responsible who do not
perform their duty. The statute
requires that the Supervisor "shall
superintend the county roads and
bridges, cause the same to be put in
good order and repair, of the proper
width, well drained, and to be clear
ed and kept clear of rocks, &c"
There is not road in the county,
we think it safe to say, where the
above requirements of the law are
not habitually violated and ignored.
There is not road that is swell
drained" or drained with any kind
of skill or practical intelligence
not road on which the continual
lack of proper draining and the
bungling manner of constructing it
does not subject the taxpayers to
more cost and inconvenience than it
would require to have smooth
comfortable and respectable road.
There is no economy so costly as
that which spares the labor to make
good roads wherever it is attempted
to make any road. 1t would be bet
ter to eXpend the money and labor
so far as it will go, and make the
road first-class, neglecting all the
balance, than to half repair the
whole. A mile of the road skillful-
ly drained and graded is worth
more than two miles that is so CON
structed that work and money put
upon it is washed away with every
rain. A mile of road properly con
structed is in the nature Of per-
manent investment; if improperly
constructed it is but a temporary
shift costing more than good road.
Moreover, the above provision of
the law is continually and flagrantly
violated in the matter of clearing
and keeping the roads clear of
rocks" So plain provision of the
law as this ought to be enforced.
What difficulty can there be in de-
termining whether or not Super
visor complied with the law in this
particular? Does not anybody know
rock when he sees it? Does not
the County Court know rock?
When the roads are so INSTRUCTED
with rocks as to make travelling
tedious, is there any difficulty in
enforcing the law? Are the Super
visors or is the County Court re-
sponsible for the fact that nearly
every road in the county is next to
impossible with loose stones? There
ought to be money enough, at least,
to throw the rocks off the road; and
we hold that if only this were done
the roads would be made better and
more passable than usual, if not an
other lick were struck. Neverthe-
less, it is the rule, as we pointed out
last week, for Supervisors to throw
all the loose stone they can find, big
and little, directly in the road.
They seem to regard this as a
proper part of road making-a COM
pliance with, instead of violation
of the statute, which requires them
to keep the roads clear of rock"
When shall we have revolution in
this costly and inexcusable method
of dealing with our county roads?
We have a notion to say that we will
keep up this racket until somebody
is called to account-until the pub
lie Indignation, now latent, shall be
aroused to express itself in some
form that will be felt by responsible
officials. 1t is due to rich and
growing county; it is due to the tax
payer who bears this heavy burden
of Encouragement; it is due to our
reputation as an intelligent and
thrifty people; it is due TO the age
in which we live that we should be
rid Of the cost and discomfort of the
most miserable public roads any
people ever endured
The Wilkesbarre Leader nomi-
mates Hon. Malcolm Hay as the next
Democratic candidate fol Governor