The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1905-09-07
Who's Responsible?

do not see why you should cite the
condition Of the roads at the Court
House 10 the merchants of the Court
House especially. can't see why the
merchants of Mathews Court House
are any more responsible for the con-
dition of the roads here than n citizen
living on the road in any other section
of the county is responsible for the con-
dition of road In front of his property.
The county OWES the roads at Mathews
Court House aud as Il consequence the
Board of Supervisors arc the only au-
thority that know of that is respon-
Sible for the condition of the road and
should have been the party addressed
ia your communication instead of the
merchants of Mathews Court House.
Isuppose every merchant of Mathews
Court House is willing and ready to
do his part for lettering the condition
of the place, but there is such a thing
as going too far, and 1 consider the
proposition that the merchants fix the
roads is going too far. There is an idea
quite prevalent in the county to the
effect that what improvements are
made ut Mathews Court House are for
the benefit of the people who live
there. That idea 1 wish to combat as
strongly as I know how. In the first
place the roads in Mathews Court
House, instead of being used by the
merchants of Mathews Court House.
arc used by people of every section of
the county thai Come here, not only to
buy goods (which is their privilege
%Tnen they so desire), but to get mail,
call ut Clerks office, call at bank, see
doctors, dentist, druggist and for nu-
merous other reasons. You can see.
therefore, that even if it were incum-
bent OH the people of Mathews Court
House to keep the roads of the village
in order it would not fall on the mer-
chants any more than on the doctors,
lawyers, county officials, sc. But
take the ground 1 always have with
reference to this question, and that is
that it is the duty of the Board of SUI
pcrvisors through their agent to see
that the roads here are kept in order.
1 understand that young lady in
tieing her horse one day last week got
very valuable dress very much dam
aged. You certainly can't hold the
merchants of the place responsible for
this. L can't see it this way. She
did not come here for the purpose of
seeing merchants. She could have
come for the purpose having a deed
recorded.
The fact is that the roads in the
village should be kept in order for the
convenience and comfort of the people
generally all over the county, and for
the further reason that the amount of
taxes paid by the property holders
within its area is very much greater
than any amount collected from the
same size place in any other part of
the county.
1t is just as reasonable to say that
Main street, in the city of Norfolk,
should not have Il first-class pavement
because the city can't afford to give
all of its streets 4 first-class pavement,
as it is TO say the roads of Mathews
Court House should not be kept in first
class order because we can't keep all
the roads in the county in first-class
order. The fact is that Main street is
kept III first-class order because by
SO doing the most good is done to the
greatest number of people. Now 1 do
not wish to be understood as criti-
cising anybody for direlection of duty,
for such is not the case. 1 am of the
opinion that the proper authorities
should put the roads at Mathews
Court House in good condition and try
TO keep them so, and am trying to give
my reasons for so thinking. / hope,
there fore, that the roads here will in a
short time be put in good order by the
proper authorities, and that the mer-
chants will join together to put up a
good substantial tie rail. think then
we will all be doing our duty, and the
improvement will be a pleasure and
comfort to people from every section of
the county. J. +. MARCHANT.
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