The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1895-10-17
cI';RlCULTURALH HINTS
ooAp LEGISLATION.
uints About Improved Highways
te" and Local Authorities.

:, hints About Improved Highways
has hM 10" and Local Authorities.
~ ,he location, construction and
erdls ,u,epance of public highways our
suded mental scheme, based on home
luer X w sn,4srs 10 break down almost
,letelv. This fact does not consti-
'ching NM I'm argument against home rule,
. Ne Cove IN .,orely furnishes another instance
miSsO, IA :. overy scheme is sure to be faulty
aye laa ~ ,oms particular It is not the pur-
Is snd0 III ! ofthis article to discuss the mer-
mSsiau a ne democratic system Of govern
mt Of MY .r, INIT TO point out wherein, under
VeHezs, 80, system, some special laws should
ales Oh sM nade as TO public roads; for the ex-
. rs In ss III -l.nce Of more than a hundred years
never WI MD country and in Europe teaches
Die sesM ,hat the local authorities should
H. be intrusted with supreme control
lmbet,,Ms ,he roads in any neighborhood.
. OrdaI, NJ, IN the roads were taken away from
be geps.y III administrators in England all Of
be orli, Nm. Efforts TO improve them miscarried,
rsaal,n, VA "a millions Of pounds expended on
ID prs,M,A highways were wasted So, too, it
a W.s b,erl in this country from the be-
Tn,.. Irnng, and so it is in this country to-
. tutaa La though in Europe advantage has
. dy K aMssn taken of experience, and now in
Ia IN q E,.ucp and the other continental cOun-
been sISries and in a measure also IN Great
usa b. A,ain. the roads are administered by
Ehe central authorities.
n h, M nnrinp the interim after Washing
. n MI H. had retired from the commund Of
n,ufl MhearInv. and before he had been nworn
Ia Wn AZ president, he lived quietly at
n u Msouut Vernon and interested himGelf
RIA ErItb his private affairs and the bust
-. & ~ sss Of his state. Patrick Henry was
,.lI Whsp governor of Virginia. TO him
MUashington wrote, advising that the
. Noad laws be so changed that county
Eourts should not have authority to To-
49, sWste roads, but that these locations
$50 Ehonld be determined upon by state
. u EsngineerS. His reason was that mere
y y" y, M local interests would influence the
nv bounty court and all citizens of the
. HeighbOrhood, and that therefore not
~. ME- wise thing, but the locally popular
MhIng. would he done. But Washing
Eon's advice was not taken, and the
~. .s Virginia road laws are as faulty to-day
su'' Is they were O. hundred years ago,
- ~ while the roads are a disgrace to the
-, no Eeiylization of the old dominion. The |
sY Epther day an enlightened county Judge |
w 8n Virginia requested advice from Che |
~ ~ Esangineer in charge of the road bureau |
8, W. Oi the United States department of |
N agriculture. The engineer made d |
3 Reconnaissance Of the country where |
~ he road was to be improved, and |
H. showed the county Judge, to his entire
satisfaction, that in one or more places |
= kthe location of the road should be
~ kehanged, as on the present line no
y good road was possible. The law re-
#guires that freeholders should petition
& nO., kthe court to make any change in lOca-
~ ssssion. The freeholders of the neighbour
hood were asked to look at the plan.
Being intelligent men, they saw that
=. The plan was wise but not a man of
them would sign the petition. They
Fl stzplained their refusal by saying that
= the change would be disagreeable and
EdsadvantageOus to one of their mum
Hoer, and that therefore to sign the pc
Z uton would be unneighborly. There.
lore the road ON the old location is to
end Be macadamized, and every penny
spent upon it will be worse than
zfo2 wasted, for the new pavement will not
fS much improve the road, while the cost
mH