The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-26

hauling of half load to market, bad
road of two miles will cost farmer that
has to haul twelve bales of cotton ten miles
to market $500 of direct tar every winter.
Because he will have to load his wagon for
that two miles of bad road, that has become
bad for the want of work. 1t will take the
farmer two days longer to get his twelve
bales of cotton to market, which will, all
the above taxes altogether, overrun the
81 600 every year very much. The County
Commissioners failed to put the aforesaid
law into force, and the next Legislature
amended it, abolishing the Office of highway.
surveyor, making 1t the duty of the County
Commissioners to do all thnt wns hid down
in the law for the highway surveyor to do,
and fined them $500 if they did not do it.
/ say, have they done it? Well, you say
they could not do it unless they would de-
vote there time and energy to the duties of
the office, which would require not less than
two hundred days close attention of each
Commissioner to properly discharge the
duties of the office They should acQuaint
themselves with all the public roads in the
County. Why, sir, there are two important
roads in the upper part Of the County that
was not known to exist by the County Com
missioners fifteen months after they were
elected, and would not have been worked
all that time had it not been that the over
seer, after waiting twelve months for orders
to work and got no orders, went and worked
without orders. Why, the County Com
missioners, if they have not got map of
the County showing all the public roads,
ought to have one, and ought to take time
and pains to study that map, so that they
could know where all the roads and bridges
are located; they should have o roll of all
the road working hands and the names Of
all the overseers filed in their Office, and
know what hands belong to each overseer,
and know what kind of road each set of
hands had to keep worked, then they could
properly equalize the hands to the amount
the roads in good travelling condition.
of the Commissioners to fill the Office as /
have suggested. Well that is what the law
contsmplates as amended, making the du-
ties of the highway surveyor fall upon the
County Commissioners, and would cost the
County larger salary. Well, let it be go.
We, the people, would get value received,
and would much rather pay men little
more to discharge the duties of an office ac-
cording to law, and according to the neces-
sity of the County, than to have the duties
of the office, the important part of the du-
ties, done by men that are not amenablc to
any court for not doing, and, getting no pay,
cannot afford to do anything effectually,
which results in the detriment of the inter
est of the people, at little less salary, be-
cause, to use economy until it amounts to
an aegrieyance on the people is bad policy.
And to pay little more tax, and have the
County Commissioners devote more of their
time and energy, the people would see and
realize the necessity for paying it, and
would pay it gladly, feeling the direct effect
would pay it more freer than any tax they
do pay. Why, sir, can prove that to put
all the roads and bridges in good condition
in the County would enhance the price of
all the land in the County two dollars per
acre. Because any man wanting to buy
land would give more for land in County
where there are good roads, believing that
pie of good society. Well, I said it would
require the best men in the County to fill
the Office of Commissioner as it should be
filled, men that would acquaint themselves
with the law that teaches them their duty.
In speaking with County Commissioner
upon the subject of roads and bridges, he
said he had not had the luck to get hold Of
o copy of the road law, and had been in
Office then about eighteen months. How
can any man discharge the duties of an
office not having the law that teaches those
duties. think it is time for new depart.
ure in the filling of that Office, if not it will
soon be the case. 1t is now almost the case,
that respectable men will not have that
Office, and then the County will be in fire,
yes bad one. suggest that the next Leg.
isature enact tho road law of 1871, estab-
fishing the Office of highway surveyor and
assigning his duties, and fine him if he does
not do it. Fit does cost the County little
more, we would then have men, responsible
men, to relieve the County Commissioners
of one-hGlf their duties in lieu of having q
set of ub-Commissioners that cannot do
anything, and do not do anything, effect
ually, because they get no pay, and I do not
law above mentioned would let the peo-
pie work out their road tax at so cents per
day, and recommend that the Legislature
amend the criminal law, making any man
convicted of petit larceny before trial JUS
tees court work 20 days on the public
roads and bridges under the eyes of high
way surveyor in the township in which the
offence was committed, or pay fine, to be
expended on the public roads in the town.
ship. We could have little lookup in the
centre of each township for the safe Keeping
of the convict at night, and feed him on
short rations out of the road tax of those
who chose to pay their road tax in lieu Of
work.
Then, Mr.. Editor, think the County
Commissioners could have time to attend to
all the other duties of their Office by devot-
ing only Is or 100 days to the Office. and
could make the Office respectable, could
have time to study and understand the law
of their duties, could properly carry out the
drainage law to the benefit of the people,
and not have the expense of work on water
courses that does not benefit any body, nor
have the expense of litigation on that SUBJ
ject, which fear will be saddled on the
taxpayer yet before it is done with.
Yours truly,
LARKIN NEWTON.
C!6te Greek, s. c., Sept. 18th, 1878.