Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-06-03
For the Spectator.
COUNTY ROADS.

The Acts of Assembly disclose the fact that
the subject of roads has engaged large share
of attention from year to year, with the prom
inent feature that no system proposed has
been generally approved. The general law of
county roads has been the makeshif; with very
frequent special acts of individual, etimes
groups of counties. which were soon amended
and finally abandoned, and return made to
the general law. Loudoun county has prob
ably succeeded best with her special act. and
has probably the best roads. The people and
representatives of Augusta have been awake
to the importance of the subject, but they have
been unfortunate in not devising a road
scheme which is satisfactory. By Act Of March
Sth, 1880. iG was provided. THAT the Board of
Supervisors of Augusta county be and they
are hereby directed to borrow 100000 for the
purpose of improving and matchmaking such
of the roads of the county leading to Staunton,
as, in their opinion, should be improved and
macadamized, ETC." "All necessary power for
carrying out the provisions of this Act, are
hereby conferred upon said Board of Super
visors." The Act had to be submitted to the
vote of the people; the macadamized roads
were required to be kept by toll on the same.
1t was objected that clay roads, for eight
months in the year are more pleasant than
pay toll etc. The Act was not adopted.
AS disposition was manifested to prefer
the earth-road, resort was had to an Act OF
April 2lst. 1882. providing for contract system
of working the roads under the general Dire
tior ofthe Board of Supervisors, through dis
trict commissioners. combining taxation and
the usual labor. The Board of Supervisors
were to determine the number of days the
local labor might be required by the contract
ors with limitation not to exceed four days
in one year. The maximum intended to pro-
vide for great damage. such as that by floods
of 1870 and 1871. This extreme limit allowed
the Supervisors In determining the time was
used TO drive from the support of the Act; SO
it also signally failed OF adoption. Next Au-
gusta was switched on to a bill which was pre-
pared for Frederick county and became a law
without popular vote. This is the law under
which we are now operating.
The convict theory was provided for by vari-
GUS counties in the neighborhood of the Peni-
tertiary. But few of the counties put it into
execution. II was found that the securing by
night and the guarding by day, feeding. cloth
ing. medical attendance and the liability to be
called in on very short notice, the general
aversion the people had to their presence In
country, and then the Glamour '.that 1t was in
competition with honest labor" rendered them
unacceptable Besides, the work on the county
roads is SO much scattered and light, that the
equipments for convict labor are too expen-
sive and the danger of escapes too great to
make them very desirable.
Our feelings almost chafe under our embar.
raf snnents; but, let us take comfort and cour-
age from the fact that we have recently come
out of desolating war, and yet have already
sufficiently rallied to restore wastes which
were committed. Our railroad and steamboat
transportation were never so good as now: our
public institutions of all kinds are in first
class condition; our school systems, public and
private, are excellent; our people with great
unauimity, have gone to work pushing bust
ness vigorously. A grand future lies imme
ately before US. Our people can and will soon
be educated up to the necessity of bestowing
more attention and capital to the improvement
OF our country highways. Our wide-awake
and practical County Judge has distinguished
himself. with the aid of our philosophical
Supervisors and Road Com ulissioners, in pro-
vlding numerous permanent iron bridges
across the rivers and greatly improving our
earth roads. They are getting rapidly in
shape to receive the gravel to completion.
Meanwhile, the leading raods from Middle
brook and Mt. Scion, can be graveled by grad
ual and persistent stages to completion.
An improved system for the other roads will
soon prepare them for the macadam. finish
when The county will be fully able to handle
the subject without coupling other necessary
objects of attention, as time progresses. TOM.