The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-23

| ago, notwithstanding the board has passed
an order and / have made repeated prom
| iSe to parties interested, that as soon as
| the Cary road was completed the Raleigh
| force would be put to work on the Avent
| ferry road. / have made repeated requests
| that this order be carried out, but with
out avail. although the postoffice authorl-
| ties had given notice that unless this road
| was improved the rural delivery route
would be discontinued. The supervisor OF
the southern district, with the few hired
| hands he had been able to secure, was
| put to work the Pittsboro road just
| beyond the town of Cary, going west,
while the Raleigh force was working
| east from the same point. When mile
or two of road west of Cary had been
| graded and before it had been finished
and sraveled, the board permitted one OF
| their members, who lived at the extreme
western terminus of this road at the Chat
| ham county line, and without my knowl-
| edge or consent. to move this force to
| that point where they have been kept
ever since, although / protested against
| it before tie board and explained to them
| that there were three or four miles OF
| the worst part of the road extending west
I, beyond Cary where / commenced work,
and that / was exceedingly ANXIOUS to
| improve this part of the road first, so as
to give the people coming to Raleigh the
Ihenefit of the same and to make connec-
| ton without break with the improved
section from Cary to Raleigh. No atten-
| ton was given these appeals.
| At the close of the first month one
member of the board inquired ii | could
| not do less grading and hurry over the
roads faster / cited the PLAIN unnls-
taxable provision of the law on this SUB
iect. After a general discussion OF the
matter l was advised by certain members
of the board to disregard the law ana DO
less grading. as the average man in riding
over the road could not tell the difference.
| At the close of the second month the
complainants had increased to two, ana
was told in the presence or the board III
regular session and in language more EN-
| phatic than respectful, by the member
! from Barton Creek that ne had ordered
me to do less grading and 1T had to be
done and he wanted to remind me, as
seemed not to know it, thatu was subject
| to the orders of this board. My reply was
that | was not unmindful of the fact that
f, I was under the control of and subject to
| the orders of the board, and that while
was at all times ready to consult with
and have the advice OF any member OF the
board. did not take my orders from IN
dividual members, but from the tull board
or at least majority acting III their OIL
| fetal capacity, and not even then when
| it involved a violation of plain provls-
| ion of the law until they had the manll-
ness to go on record and assume all re-
sponsibilty.
From that day to this the shadow OF
that member could be seen at my heels.
| At this meeting it was agreed that the
limit of grade should be increased from
three to six per cent, just double what
the law provides. I proceeded to work
under these instructions during the fol-
| lowing month.
At the following meeting the mem
her from Barton Creek still complained
that there was entirely too much grading
being done. and it had to be stopped. 1t
was proclaimed, by more than one men,
Der. and with intense zeal and earnest
ness, that unless something was done
and done quickly in certain sections OF
| the county that ''ths board just as well
make up it's mind to stay at home after
| the next election. For the first time the
true situation dawned upon me and an
| idea succeeded in penetrating my hereto
| fore dull and Opaque brain. Things were
beginning to look serious and the county
Attorney volunteered to play the part OF
Moses. and lead them out OF the wider
ness. He proceeded to expound the law
and in apparent seriousness to explain to
the board and to convince me that where
the law said shall, it meant may,
and when it said all it meant part OF
or none at all, as the board saw tit to
construe it. and that this was true be-
cause he drew the bill himself and he
knew what he intended. He advised the
board that they had the right to dispense
with all grading, and that the proper
thing to do and the best was to instruct
Mr.. Ellington to discontinue all grading
and simply run over the roads and round
them up and put gravel on them, making
as much show as possible in order to
catch popular favor and latter awhlle
they could go back and do the grading.
This proposition was so absurd and unbus-
mess like that he could find but one
member of even that board, and al time
of their dire extremity, who would as
sent
About this time it was discovered by
somebody that the health of Supt. Elllng-
ton was not of the best quality and stand