Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1891-02-19

OF mossimportance. namely, the better care
OF roads-but just how this can be best done
10 the point 70 be considered. For my part,
/ fail 90 see the remedy through politics,
and how TO separate them In the real point
Of consideration for as to-day.
The neglect Of this or that one under the
present system Is Of no importance. What
seems to rs as the fault IL not the indiyid-
usl but In the system itself / have thought
70 let every one mend the road that Dor
ders their place would effectually remove
them from politics and create healthy
spirit Of emulation, AZ one would not like
his neigbbor 10 have better road than his.
This would save the expense Of super
competent road menderf
Possibly better way would be TO d.
vide each district in quarter sections a.
near as practicable, each section electing
one commissioner 20 serve for one or two
years This man would be conversant
with the roads and know their wants.
Let these four men have the expending of
the just proportion Of the road tax TO be in
apportioned according % the assessable
value Of each quarter section, and assigned
by the comfy commissioners 10 the use Of
the four section men. With this they should
buy o full set Of good tools for each sec
ton and employ competent road man.
That would give each section absolute con-
troll oil both the roads and the road money
due 70 and paid by them.
This would lessen the salary OF the coun-
ty commissioners, an the road work would
be done by the section men, who would Of
necessity know how the road was done.
They might give orders direct on the coun-
~ collectors, thereby saving the trouble Of
assigning the money and having the col
lector responsible for 1t.
] much prefer this plan, as il would not
affect the poor laborer who works on the
road, as the other would. The local inter-
est would be 30 great that any man would
be beaten who did not do his duty by the
people. II would also save considerable
money in the expenses Of the county levy
court, and here il would not be amiss 10
see where we could save other money 10
put on the roads or lessen the burden Of
taxation.
The first thing TO be done il to call q con
stitutional convention for the purpose Of
reducing the war salaries of the officers Of
public trust, There is not one of the "a
judges Of the different circuits that would
resign If their salaries were reduced TO
81 ,000, which would save many thousands TO
the State. Then comes the clerks Office.
II Is o well known fact that the deputy
clerks do twice the work that the clerks
proper do-for which he receives $600-the
rest could be done, except the campaign
work, of which the public has moth
ing to do and would be much better OF
without for 81 900, thereby saving not less
than $500 q year. The Registers office
paying about 81 900, can be run for $500.
States Attorney, paying $1,05O, could be
filed for $3.50. The Sheriff's office can be
filed for $500. thereby saving about $400.
The Orphans Court can be run for $50
less than il Ii. The school system could
be run for less than it Is now. And under
my proposed system the county levy court,
with its clerk and attorney, could be run
for at least $500 less than il now is.
Now, gentlemen, would not $3.50
year pay US for a convention? Why IL
would not cost this county the $400 on the
first year; in fact, the $27, 900 saved the
State on the salaries of the judges would
pay for the convention.
Now. il hiss been argued that TO pay q
man well Is the way to make him honest
Did any man ever have enough and If
we undertake TO pay men TO be honest we
will soon be bankrupt Ii seems TO me
that to pay a man TO be honest is rather
poor policy, as men are not often dishonest
from necessity, hut to satisfy some passion
or pride. Certainly the salary of Archer
should have been sufficient Let the law
read that the embezzler shall be, and not
that he may be, sent TO the penitentiary
would do more good than large salary.
AS to q poor juror getting less than $3.50,
out of which he has to pay board for HIM
self and team, is simply bosh. Now. Mr..
President, If we have not got backbone
enough to save where there Is something
to save, let us not try where want will be
the result. What good would We do If We
did starve a few poor road laborers to the
poor house? Would it not cost more than
to pay them for theiF work? The high
salary men seem TO forget themselves
What is there 10 keep those poor men
honest? To have a superior brain with
good health is the greatest of all earthly
blessings, and the men with these or max.
ing poor use of them, il might be truly said
they have buried their talents when they
use them only to prey on the necessities or
ignorance Of their fellow-man.
How few think of the beautiful words of
the Saviour: "Love one another on this
depends the law and the prophets" And
He might have said the progress and civil
ization of the human race.
We often hear men say that without the
strife for the dollar the world would be
less progressive, and in the next breath
say that house divided against itself must
fall; and what Is the human race If not an
enlarged family, and do we not acknowl-
edge that two can do more than one
And when we'say we as humans, cannot
| unite on any general movement, we con-
tradict the history of the world and its ar
mics and acknowledge tina dollar to be the
rock on which we split. What humilia-
ting acknowledgment for this enlightened
agei