Year: 1879



 We were on the grand jury at the rec cent term of Circuit Court in this cottn- ty. We deem it nu breach of the re- strictions which should be observed by q grand iuryman, to give gentle hint to the road over-seers of Pope county. Special pains were taken to ascertain from all sources at the command of the grand jury, the condition of the public roads in the county. The result was the development of the fact that there is scarcely mile of public highway i'll the county in good repair, and that there is scarcely a road-overseer in the county who would have escaped indict- ment for falling to keep his road i'll re- pair. had the provisions of the law been strictly enforced. It is q great mistake in road-overseers to suppose they have done their duty and complied with the requirements of the law when they have cut a few brush and thrown it in a bad place here, or shoveled in a few spades full of dirt there, or cut out turn or crook in the road in some other place altogether impossible. A mere TRAIL through the country just the width of a wagon is not such q PUBLIC ROAD as is contemplated by the law, although the average road-oyerseer seems to think that where he has opened up such a trail he has done enough. "About like the common Arkansas road," or ca pretty good road for Arkansas" is the way our public roads are spoken of; and that description means narrow TRAIL through the country along whose sinuous way wagon is liable to be wrecked or upset at almost any point where once in willie two wagons can pass each other without colliding and over which a good span of mules by pulling the life almost out of them can perhaps draw three bales of cotton, i whereas the same team would draw four bales with ease if the roads arc good.

 Perhaps this may be slightly over drawn, but it approxinates a truthful description of our roads. Our road oversecrs seem to try to sec how little they can do on our highways just so as to clear themselves from indict- ment. Our roads arc stigma and dis grace to our State. One of these times l thara u,;ll ho n, orn rnnJ ayarSaorc fonuI winding their way to circuit court to answer indictments for falling to keep the public highways in good repair than you ever heard of.

 We might say that road-overseers are not the only officials who might escape indictment for neglect to perform the duties of office imposed upon them by 1 law and by their oaths of office. It has become habit for our officials to do too much just as they please, performing just such duties of office as may be con venient to them and leaving undonc those which require any extra trouble or exertion.

 The private citizen is very quickly snatched up if he violates the law in the slightest point, any act of omission or commission on his part which can be construed into misdemeanor is quickly taken cognizance of, and he is brought face to face with an official who is so very jealous in the vindica- tion of the law that he forgets to meet one half of it's requirements himself. Our officials seem to forget that THEY, as well as the PRIVATE CITIZEN, are sub iect unto the laws of the land. It may be pleasant delusion, but some of these days there will be painful arous- ing from--such delusive dream, and there will be more officials answering to indictment for attempting to run their offices just as they please, instead of running them as the law directs, than you eyer heard of.

 Is hint to the wise sufficient?