The record-union., 1895-03-08
WHY THIS VIRTUOUS INDIGNATION !?
Some of the Supervisors Sadly Out
of Humor.
They Get Off Wrong, and Abuse the
Record Uniou' as if It Had
Attacked Them.

Supervisor Curtis worked himself into
q white heat yesterday, and some of the
other members of the board shed little
unreasonable perspiration, over the fact
that the RECORD UNION had correctly
published some figures submitted by the
County Auditor showing that the dis
trct road funds of the county were heav-
lily in debt
Supervisor Curtis went so far as to say
that the statement was a lie, and saw tit
to indulge in personal attack on the re-
porter who copied the figures correctly
from the Auditors report. If the figures
were wrong, the virtuous Supervisor
should have directed his TRADE against
the Auditor, not the reporter who simply
copied them.
The RECoRD-UNIoN, referring to the
Auditors report of the condition of the
various district funds, merely said they
were bankrupt; that Notwithstanding all
the last years road taxes had been ex-
bended, the roads were still bad, as they
were forty years ago.
In this the RECoRD-UNIoN made
mistake, for the roads are not nearly as
good as they were forty years ago, Super
visor Curtis denial to the contrary not
withstanding. There were then miles OF
good roads, because they had not been
cut up by years of heavy teaming, and
upward of twenty years ago there were
many stretches OF toll-roads that were
kept in good condition.
In the report Of the proceedings of the
Board OF Supervisors, to which eXcep-
ton was taken, not a line appeared
beyond the plain statement OF what was
shown by the Auditors report, and this
fully justified the offending headlines
oh toiy a1 tn
as Justification for vituperative attacks
upon this paper and denunciation OF it's
reporter as a liar.
No charge was made by this paper that
the members of the board had made any
misuse of the road funds, or that any
blame attached 10 them because the coun-
try roads are disgrace TO the nineteenth
century. 1t was not even limited that they,
or any of them, had blundered in the
character of work done in any instance,
or that thousands of dollars had been
wasted through ignorance of how to build
roads.
No such allegations as these were made
against any of the Supervisors, and the
RECORD MON has never given voice to
such things, always assuming that the
Supervisors had honestly done the best
in their power with the means at their
Command-and according to their abili-
ties. 1t is all a question as TO what is
meant by "good roads," For instance,
do the Supervisors know what it now
costs producers per ton per mile TO haul
produce in and supplies out, and what 1t
really ought to cost?
The RECORD UNION holds, as it has al
ways done, that good roads are not possi-
bic under the present system, and it has
therefore led in the agitation that is now
stirring the people of the State for the
adoption OF a system that will remedy
the evil. II the Supervisors had $40 900
fn los
year on the county roads, it would all be
thrown away, just as have hundreds on
hundreds OF thousands that have been
expended in the last forty years with
nothing to show therefor except roads
that are practically impossible for weeks
at a time in winter, and torture to
travellers in the summer.
This is all those terrible headlines in
the RECORD UNION mean, and how any
man having the self-consciousness that
he had done only his duty as Road Com
missioner could construe them other
wise, is mystery.
Mr.. Curtis, nor Mr.. Jenkins, nor Mr..
Morrison, nor any of the gentlemen of
the board who were so ready to jump on
this paper for correctly reporting its
proceedings, were Supervisors forty
years ago, nor thirty, nor twenty. nor ten
years ago. Why, then, do they manifest
such extreme sensitiveness over the
RECORD UNIONS headline TO the effect
that the road conditions now are the
same that have prevailed during the last
forty years? Was there anything in that
awful headline that even inIlmated that
they were responsible for these condi-
tlons-past or present?
Mr.. Curtis declares the RECORD I MON
lies when II says the country roads are
not excellent highways. Mr.. Morrison
merely says 1t is talking through its
hat" aud Mr.. Jenkins echoes the latter
orb nhn-- ole d. !.
the country people are not 'kicking'
about the roads-that they are satisfied
with them, and that nobody else has q
right to complain.
Possibly these gentlemen forget that
about year and half ago there was a
county Road Convention held in this
city that was attended by representative
farmers from every section of the county
and that these farmers, almost to man,
deplored the awful condition of the
country roads. Perhaps they forget that
one delegate (Assem blyInan ButIerl
apologized for his late arrival by saying
that 1t took him some eight hours to
make his way TO the city over twenty
miles of these charming country boule-
wards that our Supervisors are holding
up as such paragons OF highway perfec
ton.
Possibly these gentlemen have forgot
ten that these same farmers sent dele
cation of seventeen delegates 20 them,
imploring them to give the people
OF the county an opportunity to vote on
the question Of issuing half-million dol
lars IN bonds, the proceeds to be used
In constructing good modern roads that
could be travelled with comfort at all sea-
sons OF the year. and which would
double the county's population.
Possibly they forget that the County
Road Convention condemned the annual
waste of tens of thousands of dollars for
patchwork on the roads-which is the
only thing possible under the present So
called system. But il is not at all likely
our Supervisors have forgotten the one
fact that they refused TO give the people
an opportunity to say whether or not
better system should be inaugurated.
The RECORD UNION has been very con-
siderate toward these gentlemen during
all the criticisms that have been passed
upon them regarding tho expenditure of
road funds, but they have gone out of
their way TO indulge in biliingsgate to-
ward this journal because it saw fit to
draw warrantable conclusion from a
plain statement of fact made by the
County Auditor. Is Ii the desire of these
memb bers of the board that the RECORD
UNION should make inquiry ino the facts
concerning certain road work of recent
performance in order TO show how much
some men do not know about road
building,s seven OF plain business methods
in connection herewith?
NJ