Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-22

I
Good Roads and Good Government.
The question of good county govern
ment, particularly with respect to an
honest and practical application of the
public funds. is claiming the serious
attention Of the press of Sussex
county. And there is commendable
disposition to conduct the. discussion
on plain business lines, instead OF
merely attempting to make political
capital out Of the matter.
The Lewes Pilot finds that during
the four years of 1s94-97, the expendi-
lures for public road purposes in |
Sussex county amounted to s75,577.s1,
the largest amount income year being
$40, 208. so, in 1897. This large amount
was spent, the Pilot continues, with |
out any particular official head to see
that the money was judiciously applied |
to the advantage of the Taxpayers. No
properly managed institution or cor
4 'poration would think Of spending such
sum unless the closest scrutiny was
\ given to each expenditure. Ii a general
| improvement in our road system under
| the present management could be seen
there would be some mitigation of the
| expenses. The question of better roads
is not n political one but a matter of
| vital interest to the farmer in a finan-
cial way in saving the wearof vehicles
and teams and the transportation of
farm produce. Good roads tighten
taxation. In New Jersey the old
| system of scraping the road into the
middle to give it a chance to again
run into the cutters cost about Si5, 600
in certain county. Now they build
fifteen miles of road year at cost of
500, 900. Our system is that of scraning
the mud to see it run back again even
worse. When the people can rise above
the idea that they must vote for party
candidates regardless Of qualifications
then we may hope to see some steps to
, remedy the defects in the county and
road system by the introduction of a
competent road supervisor and possibly
the use of material of some kind that
will result in forming solid roadbed. ="
This is good advice. and it ought to
be needed by the taxpayers of Sussex
county, who have suffered for years
from the mismanagement Of partisan
: local government. Democratic in
:. capacity and extravaganza has beer
: followed by Republican incapacity ano
:, extravaganza, although the china,
seems to have been reached under thu
= present Union Republican regime.
nibN Dslat onp III
!. the condition of affairs in Kent county
Z where the bonded debt is being re
2 duced. '.In SUSSEX it says, I've cal
!; boast that we are heaping up the debt
! We commend or advise that SUISSE
: make friendly visit to Kent and ge
IA some pointers on how to do it. TIL
Democratic machine in her palmy day
of disfranchisement, of stealing count
= funds and all that sort of thing whic
=. our friends, the enemy, like to asseI
- as an offset against their inabilit,
- never made such fist of things q
!. now presents itself in the financii
I condition of Sussex"
The Sussex journal OF Georgetow
~ gives attention to the same subject an
-, says; County orders IN sussex al
g.. still going begging. This is due
u, the main to the awful financeering
~. ~ the Addicks Levy Court for the pa
~ few years. Are the people of tn
county satisfied with such a state
" affairs? We can hardly think SO. y
,. Undoubtedly the people of the coun
w ". are far from satisfied, but they W
- have to rest under this burden of mi
~, government until they themselves app
ny ' the remedy. Let them cast ash
~ craftsmanship and elect good, hont
-. - business men to the Levy Court. The
i ~ are plenty of such men IN Suss
- county, but unless the people call vi
~; them to come to the rescue they W
D. continue to enjoy the cheerful specta
- of taxes spent year after year vi
ne nothing to show for them, and
osi- county debt that increases instead
~. growing less