Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-02-23
ROAD OFFICIALS DEFENDED
T. W. Harris Replies to the Letters
of EicheIberger and Gray.

Editor SPECTAToR:-If you will
grant me the space in your valuable
paper will endeavor to correct some
of the statements made by H. G
Eichelberger, rejecting on the good
sense and judgment of our road Off
Gals in Augusta county. He starts
out by saying our roads have been
getting worse and worse for the last
ten years. Now, defy him to bring
out the proof of this assertion. Every
man who has travelled over the roads
in the county will agree with me that
our roads have been improved at least
30 per cent in the last ten years, and
not only that, but man will he sur
prised to 60 over the county and see
the fine substantial bridges that have
been built in the past few years. And
in addition the road officials have con-
structed twenty miles of solid pike,
but not on Mr.. Eichelberger plan.
Instead of censure, our Board of
Supervisors deserve a great deal of
credit for the improvements they
have made and at the same time have
kept our county almost free of debt.
Mr.. Eichelberger seems disposed to
charge the rulings of an Advise Provi
dence to the road officials. This is on.
ly one exhibition of weakness on his
part. The road officials. or the system
they employ, have no more to do with
the present muddy condition of the
roads than they have in building the
iceburgs at the North pole. l would
like to inform Mr.. E:chelberger that it
Is rain, snow, freezing and thawing
that makes mud, and not the road Off
Gals. Bad weather makes bad roads.
1t always has in the past and will con-
tinue in the future There is not a
dirt road In the State, either public OIL
private that is free from mud during
the winter seasOn-not even hog
path. Of course l am not finding fault
with the hogs, but the system they
employ. They ought to have goose
feet instead of sharp toes. No doubt
Mr.. Eichelberger will think am pok
ing fun at him, but the garment was
cut by his own pattern. He said be was
not finding fault with the road officials
but with the system they employed.
Now would like to ask Mr.. Eichel
berger, who created this system? No
doubt he imagines it was Matched in
Cuba and struggled through on fill
clustering expedition and dumped in
on helpless people without their
knowledge and consent, and that he is
the second Aguinaldo bornto deliver,
not down-trodden people, but a mud
trodden people from their bondage. Ii
after forty years of practical expsr.
fence on the farm and public highways
I were to conceive the iGea that
could keep up Is miles of dirt road and
then find time for building pixies with
| two men, that is all he asks, and only
200 days in the year at that. l woul6
call up the inmates of the Western
State Hospital and ask them to pass 6
resolution in support of my PROPOSE
ton, and at the same time l would
keep a keen eye on the board of lunac!
for fear they would stick their noses il
my business.
If.Mr. Gray, who charges the roat
officials with the wasting OF money
| will just come out during the month
of May, when the working season i
on, and work as do the poor laborers
who tug away with beads of perspira
ton dripping from their brows for tel
hours every day and who receive tn
poor little, pitiful sum of rs cents TO
said days work and board themselves
he will return to his easy office chat
and cock his feet upon his desk, if no
a better wiser man land instead of &C
cusing people of things of which the
are not guilty, he will get up a hurrie
bill and go before the next Legislator
for the relief of suffering humanity.
| CT. HARRIS.