Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1906-02-22
GOOD ROADS.

@N-( ANA@AALF@~
Since cur last writing We are
-,ed e. know hat many Of the
ads are beiag put in better con-
.itln. We hpre the good work
SD 60 "a. - rc stated before
-e ueesi not 9e.acr about the Law
r'th reference T. good roads be-
,alsc as we tr.cd 90 slow. We
laFc Cac ~ the best mcthods that
l-1 ever been tricd. Batia or
Ter io cet atthe law VIC ROW have.
and o be true 70 my promise.
perhaps sho,t discussion az The
las AS 10 Is will bc anIr ciated. /
We all know bout the svster1
We nov use. and hence are fairly
familiar with what the road laws
are Besides the present method
we have upon the statutes n law
which empowers the Board OF SUI
pervisOrs 10 let .he roads out bv
contract. Under this law thew
le, olt the roads to contractors
ard then these contractors have
4 right To work the citizens Of the
v"rious road links for eight DAYS
each year on their respective
Z mas, or II the citizen prefers. he
lay pay = Communication tax OF
s5.'W and thus escape road duty.
these contracts mt . be let Tor
not less than two or more than
TOUR years. Any failure to work
under this contractor o. payment
Of the money in leu thereof IS
punishable under the law as foy q
mis1emeanor.
Many people Of late years hcve
argued that the contract system
IS the better Of tie two. Wheth-
eF that be true or not. we can but
guess. However. il Is a fact th..t
many OF the counties which have
tried the contract system have
2oanJoued 1t and have gone back
To the old system. Lee county
did that some days ego. ard IN
TACT the majority, and even The
large majority, so far as &c CIR
ascertain, have dispensed with
he contract system after Giving
It = faithful Jgial. What their rea-
soas were for going back t. tie
old system, we learn, that they
| ha1 no better roads because tie
contractors managed % escape in
some way about like the overseers
under the present system manage
to escape; and besides TIE people
who have tried tie contract sys-
TEN ind ii mo-s expensive.
/ We MIST profit by experience
ioi course. Ii may be that careful
management would avoid tha
defeat u this cOat-Go. system.
but ii would be rash . sSv tia;
we are sure thai we could make
= change and succeed ahea many
l0;hers have failed, without f-st
layias; carefully censile-ed the
change.
te writer desires . say tAat
Be IS -aF anything that vii setu-
ally bring good roads. TO natter
WAT plan v-r pursue, nor what
he cost may Dc. IS ei5izea
and tax payer ne Is wiling 10 Do
acte his snare of tbs e-p71se.
Ae s-@ere that god roads are
impc-1,lre, ard the aooner we
come 70 this conclusion and bald
sae roads the sooner will capital
and good business enterprises
spring up among cur people. As
L matter # history there mas new
er been 4 people anywhere who
e1q nded any sun OF money il
d.clously upon roads that failed
20 bring mary fold returns. We
are living N an age where eeOno-
my OF time counts. The cid or
der Of things has passed away
with everybody except Us. it is
therefore L question of whether
We will use a little common sense
and business Judgment and DO ss
this ate hour what we ought to
save done many years Ego.
Having had actual experience
Tor several years in The country
il working and travelling ever
cur roads, and having studied
carefully the best methods for
keeping the roads in good repair.
| have reached the con fusion
tina; 1t : best to Use bO.h the con-
traet system anl the present svs-
ten, keep the present system and
let tie Boa-d OF Supervisors let
0ls contracts to have special
work done in the places where il
3 most needed. / say this know
ing the Board is DESTROYS Of do
ing al in their power 10 put the
roads IN better condition. / find
from inquiry that many of the
overseers are handicapped be-
cause their hands, especially the
negroes, have no tools for road
WORKING hence my first sucges-
ton Is 70 SEA tat all he links
have plenty o. tools; second. that
thing dmheEs for crosswaying and
the Ike be furnishee the over
seers, and that the Board see that /
they are properly cared for and
used. After this is done then Lot
the Board let out contracts for
the worst places.
LEE ". RUSSELL.