The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-12-09
Concerning Roads.


good, D. D., and applies forcibly to this
section of the country:
Georgia-not to speak of sister states
is full Of bad roads. Many Of them are
like the two roads in California OF when
a preacher wrote: II asked" said ne, "an
old negro. which of two roads was the
shorter one. He answered, "Bofe of dem
is de longest, boss, dey is so bad"
Right here in old Newton we have
roads that in winter are "Sloughs of De
spond." BY the middle of January an
empty buggy will mire nearly TO the
hubs, between Oxford and CoVlngton
For two months during the winter We
will have about two broken wagons 9
week. besides much wear of horse-Hesh
and tear of harness and no end of ours
ing. And all over the greater part OF oul
State the people will be breaking their
wagons and cursing the roads in the yam
effort to get half a load to market: Only
consider the roads in Cherokee Georgia,
in Northern and Northeastern Georgia.
Think of man trying to get to market
ont of Mel Ignores Cove or from over the
Blue Ridge. Start loaded wagon from
Lumpkin county to Gainesville; OR from
White, or Pickens, or Hart, or any oi
the counties-north cf the sand-helt
What sorts of loads can they haul? Not
enough to pay for the trip.
Men talk about inducing immigration;
Who wants to settle in country he WILL
break down moving to, and break down
getting his crop out of? It is hard to get
in; harder to get out. i.
Turnpikes made the valley OF Virginia
rich before they had ANY railroad. II
was 80 in Middle Tennessee and In parts
of Kentucky.
We dream, theorize, and speechify
about the development of Georgia's
great physical resources" but what is the
q use to develop unless we could get to
market? 1t is o pitiful sight to see q
man come to market, driving a worn out
team. that has managed to pull through
numberless mud holes and over rough
hills and mountains fourth of load.
No wonder that man don't raise half as
much corn, or wheat, or; cabbages, OF
apples, as he might. 1t had as well not
be raised as to rot. And he can't spend
half the year hat1ling-in broken doses
his surplus crop. It is too plain to argue
A few of the blessings good roads
would bring to large portions of Georgia
may be mentioned. They do not need
discussion.
J.. Good roads would stimulate produc'
ton. 2. They would save intellectually IN
time, and would more than double the
carving capacity of wagons going TO and
returning from market. 8. They would
save money, thousands of dollars annual,
ly, by lessening breakage and the i1llll OF
teams. 4. They would prevent great
deal hard swearing, by removing frGm
sorely tempted teamsters, temptation
few of them have the virtue to withstand.
S. They would largely promote the tenn
perance cause. A merchant doing busl-
ness on the Air Line Railroad said this
to me: "As long as people in these North
Georgia counties, that are off the railroad,
can get but forty or fifty cents bushel
for corn at home; as long as they can
haul to market only ten or fifteen bushels,
on account of the wretched roads; and as
long as they can turn it into whiskey and
in this form get FIVE or ten times as much
for their corn-getting a barrel OF whis-
kew to market easier than they can the
corn it takes to make it--so long they
will make whiskey-with or without
license" They will take all the risks.
But if they had decent roads many of
them would stop distilling. 6. Good
roads would invite immigration as moth
ing else will. A good turnpike is worth
a dozen agents and hundred speeches
on the "undeveloped resources"
Our voice is for roads-good roads In
Georgia. They are ciyilizers, developers,
reformers. 1t has always been so. The
old Romans understood it. What place
in history has the great Egnatian Way ]
And other roads famous in history! The
British Government is beginning to
understand this and is building roads
railroads and good highways all through
India. Are North Georgia roads any
better than they were forty years ago !
And is Middle Georgia betterf Try to
drive a loaded wagon from Monticello to
Madison or Coyington.
How can we have good roads? Make
them? How? With convict labor. Mon
day night, November s, about one dozen
recruits for our convict army came up the
Macon and Western road. And they
keep coming-white and black. There
must be, all told, nearly a thousand OF
them. What shall we do with them ?
Every Legislature asks the question and
debates it. It was always wrong TO In
suit honest mechanics by teaching con-
yicts their trades. We can't build a
by every mans house: Perhaps
we have enough railroads until increased
production shall give them more to do.
Perhaps nobody likes to see the State
government hiring its convicts to indi-
viduals, for farming, brick-making, or
of the sort. Make good roads
with our army of convicts. We need the
roads, and don't know what to do with
the convicts. We can try the expert
ment at least-it can't be worse than the
experiments we have made. How can it
be managed? How can the State and
county governments adjust themselves to
the work? Who shall furnish the tools ?
the guards? the food? We elect Legis-
lators- is we elect members of the
Legislature, to answer just such questions.
They can find the answer if only they are
willing and capable.
Convict labor, making good roads in
Georgia, would conflict with no form OF
skilled labor. Road-making is public
work of general utility.
It may take twenty years to make good
roads where our people need them: But
what will we get for our convict labor if
we do not use it in some such way2 a
few thousand dollars year. Good roads
in few counties would increase the
revenues of the State by increasing the
value of property for more than the pitt:
full hire we receive for our convict labor.
If any Legislator wishes to deserve a
monument, wishes to make himself his
toric in Georgia, let him frame law
that shall turn our army of convicts upon
our bad roads, and work them till they
are good. We and our children will call