The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-01-24
IMPROVE THE PUBLIC ROADS

lMA W. I'M AbbHAb NNhb0
The need Of improvement IN publ,
roads is felt IN every part Of Mississippi
There has bees u measure Of improve
ment In the roads Of the State generally
during the last few years, but the cOm-
plant OF bad roads is yet the most com
mon among our people. It IS dill ult to
make many farmers understand that the
lands Of any community in which supe-
rior roads are always increased in market
value even beyond the extra cost of max
ing them, and the loss to community in
the needless wear and tear of bad roads is
never justly estimated, This subject
of improved roads has lately attracted
special attention in most oil the Eastern
States, aud the best practical writer's
have contributed important papersd emon
s~trating not only the necessity, but the
economy of good roads. The bad condi-
lion of our country roads is conceded and
known to bea lamentable fact, In saying
that the Legislature should take some
steps in the matter, we voice the senti-
ments of every citizen in the county. In
stead Of leasing the county convicts it
would serve the ends of both Justice and
the people by allowing each county the
right to keep its prisoners at work on the
county roads under the management of
overseers, whose duty ii should be to re-
port regularly TO a road commission.
[Ner COdhOmidR.
If the condition of the public
roads was taken as an evidence of
civilization, as is sometimes done,
this country would take low rank
among the nations Of the world,
for it is an undeniable fact that
their condition is outrageously bad
and we will hail with delight any
plan that will better their condi-
ton. 1t is admitted on every hand
that the present system is a farce
and a failure. The average citi-
zen gives his labor grudgingly and
the road overseer is content if he
can escape the law by the formal
ty of calling out the hands and
through the motions of road
work, which generally leaves the
highways in a worse condi-
ton than he found them.
We have not given the plan
above suggested sufficient thought
to be able to endorse it fully, but
any law, other than the one in
force now, could certainly be no
In the Northwest they have a
system. There they elect a
road commissioner, whose duty it
to keep the county roads in
thorough repair, and the funds nee
,Ssary for such work is raised by
.axation. Perhaps, a combina-
ion of the convict system, with
axation sufficient to supplement
might be wanting to do the
work thoroughly, would be a good
dea, for it seems to us that the
of convict labor would be
90 varying and uncertain to do !
he work as it should be done. In
he case of convict labor the con-
lition if the roads would depend
Entirely on the amount of crime
n the county, and therefore The
most moral communities would
lave the worst roads.
Perhaps, our legislators in their
wisdom may hit upon some plan
0 better the manifest defects of ,
he present system, and we urge ,
pom them the necessity for some .
adical change in the present road )
avs. They can go to work on :
his knotty question with the full -.
ssurance that it is utterly impos- '
ible to make any law that will be !,
Torse than the present one, so "
here is no danger of being called :
account for any defects in such
egislatiOn. :