The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-11-23
TO PROBE ROAD
WORK IN CECIL
PEOPLE Want To Be Shown May Garry
Matter to Courts

III IIIS COUNTY nus, eo biiN "a h'NA~ |S''N~
served to raise questions which the
people of Cecil will not only ask, but
which they will doubtless insist must
be answered The WHIG took the
ground that, if the present Road Com
mission proposes las it has stated to
deduct from Cecil's allotment out of
the new three million appropriation the
amount which it claims the Crothers-
Tucker Commission overspent in this
county, then the people will want to
know exactly HOW MUCH WAS THUS
OVER SPENT AND FOR WHAT. THIS
WE SAND THE PEOPLE WANT TO
KNOW. THIS THE PEOPLE ARE GO
ING TO KNOW. A letter from a promi-
nent citizen of the county, published
this week in another column, would
seem to indicate not only the earnest
determination of our people to get this
information, but would serve to point
the way to the method by which it may
most speedily and certainly be secured
1t looks as ii the people of this
county would carry the matter into
Court and compel the accounting.
Meanwhile the WHIG would empha
size the fact that the Report which fur
nishes the basis for this series of arti-
cles, is no sufficient ana satisfactory
report at all. 1t does furnish data
which has net been hitherto forthcom-
ing-data which these columns will lay
before the people in future issues and
which data will serve to feed the fires
of indignation in the mind of every
thoughtful reader.
But the Report does not, of course
afford the detailed information of the
expenditure on State Road work IN this
county to which the people are entitled
and after which they are gong. IL Is
not to be presumed that we are going
90 be satisfied with the statement that
three little pieces of detached road in
this county (about three miles each) ate
up the entire allotment to this county
out OF five million dollar loan-AND
ABOUT FIFTY-SIX THOUSAND DOL
LARS MORE. We are going to know
now it came about that any such enor-
nous expenditure should produce such
pitifully picayune results.
Other questions arise in connection
with this inquiry which will have to be
answered before the people of Cecil
county can be dismissed with a sneer.
Suppose some of those questions be now
stated seriatim for the peoples con-
sideration:-
U-By what authority did the Gro
thers Tucker Commission spend more
than the amount specified in the legs-
lative appropriation? That commission
was working purely as the creature OF
the Legislature, which carefully detneo
its duties and LIMITED IT'S POWERS.
When it exceeded those powers, it was
acting ultra wires, and noe within the
scope of its trusteeship. If it spent
more than the Legislature authorized it
10 spend 1t was not acting with legis-
tatiye authority in that excess expendi-
ture, and therefore becomes personally
liable. The Commission was not spend.
ing lin that EXCESS expenditure) the
money of the people of Maryland for the
people of Maryland had not given it to
them to spend The people gave them a
certain definite amount, and no more
and whatever they spent over and above
that amount was their own or somebody
else's money--not the money of the peo-
pie of Maryland.
(2)--From which statement follows
naturally this further inquiry:-By what
right does the present Road Commission
propose to take from Cccils allotment
under the new three million loan sufti-
cient funds to make good the oyer-ex-
penditure of the Crothers Tucker Com
mission? If that sort of thing can go
on, then legislative directions and au-
thOrity become of no avail and the pro-
nf he Nj
the mercy of Good Roads Commission;
because If a Commission, with limited
powers, can set at naught those powers
and spend $4,000 more than is granted
them, AND BE REIMBURSED FOR THE
SAME, what is to hinder their spend
ing $685. 900, and being reimbursed for
the same? Are the people going to
stand for any such high handed proceed
iRgs?
(S)-lf, as Mr.. Crosby asserts In this
Report, the excess cost of the State
Road work in this county is chargeable
10 the fact that Mr.. Tucker, the Chair
man of the Commission took the work
put of the Engineers hands and in
sisted on building those roads accord
ing to his own ideas and without inter-
work, employing such superintendents
teams, labor, etc, and buying such ma
terials as he deemed necessary, etc."
II all this was going ON in this county,
resulting in what the Engineer calls
excessive high cost of this work due
10 lneficient management of the work"
then the people will naturally turn to
that provision of the law creating the
commission and defining its powers,
which reads as ollows:-"The construc-
tion of all State high ways shall be
in accordance with plans and
specifications approved by the Chief
Engineer"
t4)-This reference to the law under
which the Commission was authorized to
live and act only results in raising a
whole lot of other questions that deal
with what looks like calm ignoring of
the law in many instances by the Com
missions procedure. When, for in
stance, future report In these columns
shows the three little bits of detached
WIDELY DETACHED) roads built in
this county. one will think of that pro-
vision of the law which calls for "sys-