The organization of the county for political purposes to secure the utmost obscurity and irresponsibility breaks the force of any humanitarian public opinion that might be developed for the betterment of the lot of the unfortunate. The same influences render the county practically uninhabitable for the expert administrator, who would be likely to direct popular attention to the evil conditions which we have described. His place has been preëmpted by the hanger-on and the wire-puller to whom charity means the dispensing of favors to “deserving” workers of all political faiths. In _this_ sense the county is a very humane institution, and a very open-handed one. It serves well such local officials as the overseer of the poor in an up-state New York county who presented this remarkable annual report to his superior: “I am a little late with my report. I hope you will excuse me and overlook the matter. Like last year, there are no county poor here; but if you will allow me $5.00 _for keeping them off_, you will oblige, “Yours respectfully, “----.” This claim was paid and the poor were presumably “kept off” indefinitely. There is not a little evidence to support the statement that many county officers believe that they have satisfied the requirements of humanity when they have taken care of their own personal wants. Such officers, and the system of which they are part, are very good--to themselves. [4] Bailey B. Burritt, in _Proceedings of the Second Conference for the Study and Reform of County Government_, pp. 6, 7. [5] _First Conference for Better County Government_, p. 22. [6] _Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science_, May, 1913, p. 56. [7] _Op. cit._, p. 168. [8] _The Treatment and Care of the Insane in Pennsylvania_, pp. 68-69. Philadelphia, 1915. [9] _Leaflet._ 1911. [10] _Proceedings of the Third Conference for the Study and Reform of County Government_, pp. 6-7. [11] _Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science_, May, 1913, p. 70. CHAPTER X ROADS AND BRIDGES To the county in most of the states has also been committed from early times, the obligation to carry forward what is now generally recognized as one of the greatest of unifying, nationalizing, civilizing factors in this or any time--highways. Through these avenues of communication the people of the wilderness were to break their solitude, establish common understandings and give value to the products of the earth by creating markets for their distribution. Over the highways access was to be had with schools and churches.