The record-union., 1896-12-27
COUNTY and STATE.
Proposition In Regard TO Legislation on
Roads.
Claim That the Laws Concerning
County Highways Should be
Passed by Supervisors.

viii in a few weeks, there Will arise the
same old wrangle over the public roao
system which has occurred regularly a.
every biennial session of the Legislative
body. and which will continue to occur
without real satisfaction or genuine
welfare to any portion of the State unit
more sensible and practical methods OF
controlling, directing and modifying the
road system of the State shall be
adopted A cOmmitte will be organized
to consider all the thousand and one
amendments to existing laws that viii
pour in from all quarters of the State
The representative from Los Angeles
| County viii demand a certain form Oh
law for his constituents; the legislator
from Alameda County will contend fol
a different system; the man from Z
| Dorado or Amador will want something
| else. Besieged by these conflicting de-
Sires and unable to reconcile them, the
committee will worry along through the
most unsatisfactory and unsuccessful
work of the session and finally at the
| eleventh hour and in the face of ad-
| journmert it viii recommend, or al
least the Legislature will adopt. some
| kind of compromise measure that vii
| be really acceptable to no part of the
State and not we'll adapted to the need:
of any locality.
| Under our present methods such dis
sension and disastrous results are inev-
| liable, for they arise out of the I'M
mense differences in physical charac-
teristics that exist between the counties
! Of California. Some are small, level
fertile, densely populated and wealthy
| Others are as large as some Eastern
| States, mountainous, often barren
| sparsely populated and poor. We are
| trying every two years in our Legis-
! lature to make one set of road laws fol-
all these counties, apparently thinking
that the same coat can be made to fiji
a thousand different people.
This great variation in the capabili-
| ties and needs of the different counties
of California is the root of our road
Troubles. We never snail succeed III
/ adopting any uniform law in the Leg
| islature that will give even temporary
satisfaction and be a real benefit to al
| portions of the State. Conditions diff
fer. A law adapted to Alameda. Sac
ramento or Sutter County will not be
the right legislation for Ell Dorado, Cal
averas or Plumas. AS long as we con-
tinue to attempt road legislation on
these lines it will be d failure. 1t is lit
tie use to tug at a loaded WheelbarroW
by pulling at the wheel instead of tbs
| handles
The remedy plainly suggested is to
take road legislation, so far as it per
tainS to the expenditure OF money
raised by county taxation, entirely ou;
of the Legislature and give that power
TO Boards of Supervisors. That method
is sensible, equitable and practical. The
Board of Supervisors in each counNy is
or should be a little Legislature for its
own territory. 1t knows or should know
the needs and capabilities of it's own
people and region. 1t should not be
hampered by laws that may be applica
bic to other portions of the State, but
which are not desirable or beneficial to
its own locality.
The money for road expenditures is
raised in every county by taxes levied
exclusively upon the people of that
county-nOt upon those of any other.
San Joaquin does not pay for FL Do
radios roads, nor Ell Dorado for those
of San Joaquin. Neither county can
work we'll with a road system adapted
to the other. Why then, in the name
OF common sense and economical gov
ernment, should the Legislature force
upon both of these counties a law that
is well adapted to neither!
San Joaquins Supervisors should
make the road laws for that county and
FL Dorado's Supervisors should do the
same here. These laws could then be
modified to adapt them to circumstances
at any time on months notice instead
Of waiting as people do now for two
years to elapse before the Legislature
can again meet and wrangle over an i'm
possible undertaking.
In the interests of economic govern
ment. we ask our representatives from
Ell Dorado County to take up this ques-
tion when the Legislature meets; We In
vite the local press to aid in securing the
change: and we urge the daily papers of
/ the State to extend the benefits of their
| wide circulation in giving publicity to
the undesirable methods that now exist.
1t may be necessary to amend the State
Constitution to secure the desired result,
Dul llidt SllOuiu De accomplished IL ne
cessary for there can be no real i'm
provement on the present lines, since
one county will lose what another gains.
The proper function of the Legislature
in this question of roads is to lay out
gradually and maintain State roads
from the revenues of the State These
should commence at the centers of
travel and population like San Fran
cisco. Sacramento. Oakland San Jose,
| Stockton and Los Angeles, and should
| be gradually extended so as to connect
these points through the populous Dor-
tions of the State by a road we'll built
on scientific principles, that will serve
as model for county work and stimu-
lus to more permanent and economical
road building all over the State There
is a vast field Of useful work in this di-
rection for the Legislature to take up:
but the sooner that body abandons its
attempt to enact road legislation for all
the counties of this great State of Cali
fornia, with its astonishing diversities
OF climate, surface soil and populatio
the better ii will be for the people of all
portions. in the wealthy fertile sections
as well as in those where nature has
not been SO bountiful