Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-12-12
pub!ic Roads.

hope we shall do away with the en-
forced, unpaid labor system. The
people of Keller seem to wish to con-
tinue this, the most odious and I'M
just part of tho law. Their panacea
for bad roads is imprisonment OF de-
linquent road hands. This is simply
monstrous tyranny. Let us look. at
the matter and analyze it. The prop
osition is that every person liable to
road duty. that is summoned by the
iisurveyor to pay his road tax in labor,
and who fails or neglects to do so,
shall at the discretion of the county
court be fined or imprisoned. Is this
unjust and Ubiquitous tax more sa-
cred than other just taxes and obli-
cations? If not, why is this extraor-
binary remedy given? Or is it be-
cause they know the law is unjust,
unpopular and oppressive and cam
not be enforced without extraordin-
airy penalties? 1t is but a debt due
the county by the road hands, and
the good people of Keller wish to inn
prison the unfortunate laborer for
the nonpayment of this debt. Why
this extreme remedy? Imprisonment
for non-payment of honest and Just
debts, has been abolished in nearly
MI civilized countries, but here is q
deliberate proposition to i1nprison for
debt that I unhesitatingly pro-
nounce unjust, inequitable and OPP
pressive.
The road law requires the poor
man with no horse and4ao vehicle to
go on the road. to pay the same labor
tax that his rich neighbor who has
many horses, carts and carriages,
pays. The poor man does more than
half the work in making and repair
ing the road, the rich man or proper
ty holder gets nine-tenths of the ber-
efts. The non-property holder must
be taxed-heavily taxed on his labor
the only capital he has-to make
good, and keep in repair public roads
not for his own usa, but that his
more wealthy neighbor may have
nice. smooth, hard roads for the use
of their te#lns and carriages. is this
right? Isit doing as You wish to be
done by? Let us be just. An OPP
pressive and inequitablc law carrot
be successfully enforced, even by the
terrors of a dungeon.
Right to earth will rise again,
Gods eternal years are he's,
| While wrong wounded writhes pain,
And dies amid her worshippers.
twill rcnnire p great deal of labor
to make 500 miles of good, smooth,
well-drained and well-eraded public
roads. To do it by enforced labor
without improved road machinery,
would be the refinement of tyranny,
which finds fit parallel in the DIES
potic decree of Pharaoh requiring
the Israelites to make brick without
straw. Just imagine the new task
masters-road overseers-saying to
tho poor teamless, cartless, landless
laborers, 500, therefore, now and
work; for there shall be no straw,
(machineryl given to you; yet shall
we deliver the tale of bricks" Ver'-
lv, Pharoah finds imitators in the
last decade of the nineteenth CEN
fury!
Now let me ask who would be
chiefly benefited by good public
roads? Undoubtedly the property
owners, and especially the land own
ers. firmly believe if $4,000 were
iudicions1y expended on roads the
lands, alone, in Accomac would he
enhanced in value to even a greater,
amount. IT is unwise. unjust and
tyrannical to tax labor for the benefit
of capital. The poor laborer has
!. troubles, sorrows and deplivations
enough, without being dragged to
prison for the non-payment of an op
pressive and odious tax.
If we want good roads, and our
properties are greatly enhanced by
them, let us meet the emergency
hravely and manfully. If there are
burdens to be borne, and we are ben
Gifted by them, let us bear them like
men, and not try to shift them TO
other shoulders where they will prove
oppressive and of but slight benefit.
My plan to make good public roads
is to borrow the money on long time
bonds-the interest payable ANIMAL
ly-and to create a sinking fund to
pay the principal as the bonds ma
! ture. Then, when our roads are made
good, to levy capitatioa tax of so
cents on each male citizen over 81
years old, and 10 cents on the 500 of
property OF so much as may be neces-
sary to keep them in good condition.
If the roads are made really good, it
will cost a large sum, and the benefits
will accrue to succeeding ages-and
they should therefore, bear part of
the burdens.
But am not welded to any spe-
cial plan for making our roads. I
want the best plan. I favor the meet
ing of delegates from all parts of the
county to confer upon this subject,
and think ourlegislators should meet
the people there and submit the best
plan they are able to devise. They
were elected to help make our laws
and should not sbirk the responsible: