74 [Assembly 



There is another more substantial, less excusable, and it is to 

 be feared an unchangeable cause for the waste of money upon the 

 construction of the carriage ways of a city, and that cause is ap- 

 plied to those in authority, who select, dictate and employ the 

 services of the constructor. The mantel of political authority, in 

 municipal bodies especially, possesses too often to the mind of the 

 wearer the extraordinary power of endowing him with almost 

 supernatural knowledge upon every subject that may be presented 

 to him for examination; the success and experience of those in 

 authority who preceded him, or their expensive legislative failures 

 are alike disregarded by him; his political victory teaches him 

 but one thought, which is, that the appointing power has selected 

 him as superior in every respect to his predecessor ; with the 

 inflation of that thought he rises for above the serviceable opinion 

 of experience, regarding it as dictatorial, and overleaping without 

 distinction all barriers to his self wall, determines his own experi- 

 mental legislative career. 



There are many men, of course, to whom this lamentable 

 character cannot be attached, but they are so frequently in the 

 minority, that their opposition only tends to ripen the destructive 

 and increasing obstinacy of their colleagues. On the other hand 

 it would be equally culpable for a municipal corporation, liber- 

 ally to adopt all the scientific plans, that may be presented to 

 them for the construction of roads or pavements ; that extreme 

 W'ould be more disastrous than the former, as it would be ruin- 

 ously expensive; therefore, as it cannot be supposed that a 

 majority of the members of any municipal corporation can be 

 familiar with the art of road making or any other works requiring 

 mechanical skill, it would be wisely prudent, and not at all de- 

 grading or humiliating to their public position, if they were to 

 select from amongst the community such citizens as were well 

 known to be good mechanics and Constitute them a special civil 

 standing committee, referring to them for examination and report, 

 all matters which required the experience and judgment of the 

 mechanic. 



The study of road making has hardly ceased from the time of 

 Appius Claudius, yet the art has made hut little progress to the 

 present day. 



