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repairing highways well know, that very many of those men 

 were utterly incompetent. In some cases, men sought the office 

 to accomplish their own private purposes. I know one instance 

 ill a neighboring town where a man wanted to be elected high- 

 way surveyor in order to cut down the road in front of his 

 house, which he did at an expense of several hundred dollars, 

 and when he had done that, he went out. I know another 

 instance in Newton where an utterly incompetent surveyor cut 

 down the road, causing a large amount of damage ; and after- 

 wards the town had to fill up where he dug out. I could give 

 instance after instance of that kind. You will agree with me, 

 I think, that such men are not competent to fill such positions. 



I see some Newton gentlemen before me who have taken a 

 great deal of interest in our roads. We were in that town in 

 just this condition. Some gentlemen were converted and felt 

 that we could make an improvement there, and among others 

 our excellent friend, Governor Claflin ; and these gentlemen 

 urged a change of system. Some were reluctant, myself among 

 the number, to have this change brought about, but a change 

 was finally made, and a plan adopted like one of those sug- 

 gested by the Secretary, and I suppose the reason he suggested 

 it was that other towns might go and do likewise, and not make 

 a sudden and great change ; for you know that some of us have 

 strong prejudices, and because our fathers did so and so, we 

 like to walk in some degree in their footsteps. You know that 

 in town meetings we run against the prejudices and honest con- 

 victions of a great number if we propose radical changes ; so 

 we adopted this plan of having town teams, — I believe the 

 town of Newton now owns some eight or ten horses, — and plac- 

 ing them at convenient points, mostly at our almshouse, and 

 putting the highways wholly in charge of the selectmen, who 

 are the surveyors, they being authorized to employ a superin- 

 tendent of highways, who is the principal man in the manage- 

 ment of the roads, though he is under the general control of 

 the selectmen. Some of those teams were stationed at Newton 

 Corner, some at the almshouse, and from those points they went 

 out to repair the roads. There were rural districts at the ex- 

 treme southern limits of the town where the teams of farmers 

 were employed. We have not had the old system of working 

 out our taxes upon the highways for some years, and I think 

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