The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1847-12-15
Governors Message No. 3
EXECUTIVE DEpARTMENT,)
November 25, 1917.
10 the Honorable President,
and Members of the Se,ntc j,

oi'u - sun, unucr considerable excitement
upon the subject Of Rail Roads; and
that large sums have been subscribed to.
wards the construction Of some that have
been projected. Nor can you be igno-
rant the public treasury is relied upon to
contribute, in some form or other, towards
the completion Of these enterprises; and
that without it, some or oil of them
must fail; and it will be for YOU to dc.
tcrmine, whether these fair prospects
shall be blghtcd whilst in the bud, or ex-
pand in full proportions under your foster.
ing hand.
The civilians agree that the sovereign
power in State is bound to provide high
ways for its inhabitants; and II is for this
that the right Of eminent domain is i'm.
Plicdly reserved in every grant Of terri
tory, qualified by our Constitution with
the reservation, that just compensation
shall be awarded the individual owner, if
his property is used for public purposes.
No individual hus the right to put eycn
his foot upon the soil Of another, WITHOUT
his consent. The incnpncily of individu-
ais, aud the absence Of concert among
them, oppose, generally, insuparable Oh
stac'cs 70 tic exercise Of this power by
individuals; and it is, therefore, reserved
Tor the State. But the right TO exercise
1t docs not impose OH the State the oblga-
ton TO carry al highway to the door Of
every individual; they are the main artc-
rics, and communities must supply the
branches. The State may delegate this
power to individuals, but they will never
undertake the execution Of it, without the
expectation Of reasonable remuneration;
and when they will not, the questions,
when and where, and at what expense of
money and labor the State ought to do it,
arc constantly addressing themselves TO
your judgment and discretion. These
questions may be best examined by keep.
Ing entirely out of the view the aid that
may be calculated on from individuals;
and assuming that the whole burden is to
be horne by the Stntc nt large, what ne
ccssity and what principle is to govern in
| the selection Of site for the road and the
amount of money or labor to be expended
in its cons ruction! The solution may be
drawn from the practical concerns of
every dny life, planter living at a dis
tance from a market road, finds the way
leading TO it out Of repair, intcrscctcd,
perhaps, by creek or river frequently
impossible from high water, and he goes
about to estimate what i, will cost in mo-
ncv or labor TO repair the road, and build
bridges, and compares that with the value
of the labor, or The amount of money it
will cost TO transport his produce over it
| n ts cnp1Sfi,,I, III if ,I,o
suit it appears that he will save by the inn
provcmcnt, the interest on the money, or
value of labor TO be expended on them,
he will, il wise, not hesitate to make
them: and the Stale ought to be governed
by the same principle. The only oblec-
ton TO it is, that its benefits are partial,
whilst the bur,hcn bears equally through
out the State. Let us meet this objection
fairly. The benefits arc in degree un-
equal. lie who lives on the road side,
is more fortunate than his ncighbor who
lives five miles distant, and, he in turn,
| more tortunat, than h. who lives more re.
mote Are We for this reason to have no
public highways at alll Will not the
traveller who goes ten miles from home,
! realize that the road over which he ira
vcls, wrctched as they generally are, was
made and kept in repair by the labor Of
other hands than his own? Is he not
bound, on the principle Of reciprocity, to
contribute to the maintenance of another
portion Of the road Oh which he never ira
velS, for the accommodation Of his neigh
Dor? May the tenants of the sea coast
and the valleys of the navigablc rivers
and creeks, fold their arms and say 10 the
inhabitants of the mountains, nature has
supplied us highways to market, we are
content, and you must provide for your
selves! Are VIC not children Of the same
family, and ought we grudgingly to mca-
sure out to each other mutual aid and as
sstancc, by the selfish rule of personal
interest!
The question, however, assumes very
different aspect when you are called up
on to lend your aid in support of an indi-
viduui enterprise in the prosecution Of an
undertaking which, from its nature, must
be productive Of great and important
general benefits. Rail Roads have tho
advantage over all other modes Of trans
porta,ion and intcrcommunication, at least
in their certainty and despatch, operating
as an immense saaYing eftimc, and, as our
cxIe i3l &C h.s proved, in the ,xpensc al-
so. Within my own recollection, the
time was (and it seems but Yesterday
when tobacco was almost the only article
raised for export in the interior Of tie
State, and the transportation @ / from the