The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-07-28
THE PUBLIC ROADS.
This Article IS for Every Farmer, Every
Business Or Professional Man aud
for All the Patriotic People
Of Lincoln County.

with the taxes the people pay. tn,
best reads obtainable for th,
amount raised. and to determin,
what amount will be necessary
The public road comes to ever,
mans door, and it is one of th,
public works which affect every cit
izen who has anything to haul. A
bad road is a heavy tax, while {
good road represents economy. i
is well known to the people of thi.
county, through the published re-
ports of the meetings of the BoarC
of Supervisors, that the contracts
heretofore made for the working Of
the public roads have not been car.
ried out as they should have been.
The matter was the subject of q
charge to the Grand Jury by the
Circuit Judge at the November
Term of the Court. The people
who pay the taxes are entitled tc
exact that before their money is
paid over to- the contractors, the
roads be worked to plans and spec
ifieations and according to the let
ter of the contract and that 9
sufficient contract be made and the
same careful and exact supervision
be made over a road contract as
would be made over contract fol
building a court house or jail,
These contracts amount annually tc
more than $40, In many in.
stances, in the past, this money OF
a respectable portion Of it, has beer
wasted, as any observing man Of
intelligence will admit.
The Board of Supervisors has
been criticised for its administra.
tion of this part of the public
affairs by many individuals. 1t il
not the purpose of this article tc
criticise them nor the contractors;
but past experience has taught that
it is high time for the people to
take an interest in the matter in q
substantial and effective way and
place themselves on record SO that
any citizen or number of citizens
will be able to know the names OF
those who will lend their moral aid
and support in insisting upon a
wiser and more satisfactory ex.
penditure of the road taxes of the
county. 1t is not enough to call
the matter to the grand jury's at
tention. II road contractors are
derelict. or if the Board of Super
visors fail in the performance OF
this important duty, they can be
indicted and punished, but the pub
lie money is gone and the roads are
bad. Every public officer, when he
knows he has the sympathy and
support of the people in the per-
formance Of his duty, can better
perform that duty. Every road
contractor. who knows that the
people will insist before the Board
or in the courts if necessary. that
his contract be carried out accord.
ing to its terms, will work his
roads better and strive to work
them up to the plans and specifica-
tions with reference to which his
contract is made.
10 the end that this encourage
ment be accorded, and the resolve
of the people that the road money
must not be wasted be registered,
this paper requests every patriotic
citizen of this county to subscribe
to the following agreement. We
urge that some patriotic, public
spirited man in each neighborhood
call the attention of his neighbors
to this article and write up the
agreement and have it signed and
mail it or deliver it to the editor
Of this paper. Do this before the
first Monday Of September. The
result will be shown III the better
condition Of the roads at ali times
in the future
AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED.
We hereby agree with each other
that WI use every lawful effort
possible to see that the contracts
to be let BY the Board Of Supervis.
ors at the September meeting, 1909,
are carried out to the letter ano
will give our aid and encourage.
ment to the Board I'd that end, oi
to any citizen or citizens ia ans
part Of the county who may have 4