The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-12-30
The courts.


Circuit Court viii be in session next
week The County Court also meets
Monday aud the wheels Of justice begin
to grind for the new year. The County
Court will have to look after the assess
ment for the year 1911 and the election
Of County Superintendent Of Public
instruction. There are other matters,
Of course, but these are the principal
ones Respecting the election Of a
superintendent we presume there will
be no opposition to the present ineum-
bent, G, L. Rulings, who has completed
his first term with distinguished rec
ord. Mr.. Rulings is capable in every
respect and man of the sonndest char
acter and qualifications. With all this
be has given the county one Of the best
administrations in the history OF its
schools He is ambitious, enthusiastic,
practical, and above all alive and atten-
tive to bis work. II there is any oppo-
sition TO Mr. Rulings we have never
heard Of it, and therefore take that for
granted. We trust he will have the
unanimous sanction Of the County
Court
The matter Of assessment viii, Of
course, include road tax. We under
stand that Representative Howard has
drafted bill changing the present sys-
tenn Of two commissioners for the county
to commissioner for each civil dis
trict. Under the Kenney bill only one
or two commissioners for the entire
county we're provided for at COM
mensurate salary. Mr.. Howard, OF
course, takes it for granted that the
present custom Of having commission
ers who have other yocations of more
importance to attend to will be contin-
ued and if that is so he is right. But
we have always reasoned that the plan
of having one commissioner from each
civil district is practically no more nor
less than return to the primitive sys-
TENS, under which very little has been
accomplished, and we don't believe will
bring any real good results.
The fact is that the present system
has never been given thorough trial.
The two commissioners plan has been
tried to some extent, and it seems that
the salary is inadequate, or something
is the trouble which prevents any great
progress in the work. Whether two or
three commissioners the man who takes
the job is expected to give it the time
needed for the improvement Of all the
roads in his jurisdiction and to keep
them in good repair all the year round. |
II he falls short Of this he has not filled |
the requirements that are demanded in
the law. II two men cannot do it at
the salary stated then one man should
be elected commissioner for the entire
county who should give bond, and this
bond should hold him to give his entire
time and attention to the public roads
OF the county. More than this that
man should be business man and, if |
possible, experienced in the matter Of
road work. No man can make us be-
lieve that such man cannot be had.
We do not believe the county roads
will ever be properly worked under the
district system. One or two or pos
sibly more districts may have reason
ably good roads but the remainder will
not be so, and the county will therefore
drag along under very poor road sys-
tenn. With one or two commissioners
who can give all their time to the work
and then take tried methods which have
succeeded, like sections on the railroads.
there can be some hope OF practical
and efficient system in Obion County,
but until then we see no prospects of
good roads.
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