The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-11-09
Common Roads.

are numerous and varied The patriot,
the statesman, and especially the farme:,
should be wide awake, fruitful in inven-
ton, and be ready to adopt and utilize
what gives promise of being valuable.
Railroads, besides being one Of the
g.andc,t achievements Of modern civili-
zation, and one Of the most patent in-tru.
Inents Of general wealth, have been Ot
incalculable advantage TO agriculture.
They are not, however, more valuable,
nor more important than common roads.
One of the first consequences of new
settlement" sometimes al anteccdent, is
road. "Blazed trees" to mark the
couisc, are succeeded by highway.
The irot-path or bridle.path is enlarged
into the wagon road. rs population
and wealth increase, the rude appliances
give way to more substantial structures.
The civilization of people may be APP
prox imatcIy determined by the character
and condition Of the roads.
The value of gpoti roads aud the i'm.
Portance OF keeping them in good con.
li,ion can hardly he over. estimated
They are made to reduce the tractivc force
L" the least possible limit. 80 as to make
10 trave' aud traffic easy and inexpensive.
"Thr frntire force is the power required
10 move a vehicle and load on a horizon.
tai road" If steep grades, holes, rnts,
uncvcnncss, etc, increase the tractiyc
force, then the travel must be slower and
the load drawn must be lighter. AS you
approach the horizontal aud improve the
hardness aud snoothness of the road bed,
speed and the load can be Increased. A
distinguished engineer says at may
be remarked, by way of comparison, that
if fifty horses are iu,t sufficient to con-
duct II given trallic upon 4 given lcught
Of very dry and smooth broken-stone
road, it will require Il horses if the road
be covered with dust and mud while
upon the same ienght of solid earlhen
cause way covered with gravel one and
onehnlf inches thick, 2lO horses would
bc necessary to accomplish the same
work"
4 volume would not suffice tn treat of
the healthful influence OF this creative
agency upon production, travel, revenue,
wealth, comfort. We complain of an
oppressive and iniluitous protective tariff,
of The heavy exactions Of internal rcve-
nue., Of burdtnsomc city icvics, and never
tire of jeremiads on "boated bondhold.
crs," and yet cost of transportation is
the heaviest tax our people pay. 1t is a
tax on industry, on labor, on capital, on
production, on exchange, on consump-
| ton.
The wealth of State, as of a pi rson,
consists III excess of production over con-
| sumption. Every thing that increases
the quantity Of commodities obtained in
| exchange for any result of industry, en-.
couragcs production aud increases wealth
Speaking after the manner Of the science
Of wealth, product is anything got
ready for sale, aud for the purposes OF
this paper, we limit to material things
got ready for sale. 1t seems too obvious
for argument tint what interfercs with
legitimate production hiuders tho accu.
mutation Of wealth, and what facilitates
production increases wealth. Products
may be numerous and prospectively val
liable, but without Immediate value OF
price, because they are not where they
can be sold. To give marketable value
buyer and seller must be brought togeth.
er. What restricts the delivery of com
modiiic., or makes delivery as to- time or
quantity uncertain, puts restriction upon
sale and therefore upon value or price
If the buyer end seller be put into com
munication, and the commodity be readi
ly and cheaply deliverable, then some OF
the most serious impcdinents TO trade arc
removed.
| A farmer grows and gathers crops and
| prepares Tor market, but the market has
to be sought Miles intervene between
the producer and the buyer. The cost OF
! getting the crop to market has to be paid
by the farmer, and is to that extent a
diminution of profits and II tax on pro.
duction. If the cost of getting to
| marie! equal the cost Of raising then that
crop must be abandoned. If remuleness
from buyer and the cost of transportation
be 80 great that 10 profit can be derived
from producing, then the land will have
no marketable value. Good roads and
cheapncss of transportation will enhance
the value of the land and make farming
profitable. Remote neighborhoods a.G
brought together, trade and friendship
are stimulated, and the country prices
i Dear uuu iuiaiiuI 10 iunu prices. y
market ID created for surplus produce
value is impaired by creating demand
and the better and less costly the trans.
portation the larger is the sphere of dc.
mand.
This matter Of common roads needs in
creased and continuous attention. To i,
the country should give thought and la
Dor and money. Improved roads, with
mile posts and sign. boards, would be wise
economy. Each county should have an
engineer, with term of office sufficiently
long to protect from popular caprice and
prejudice, and with compensation sufli-
cient to ensure competency. His duties
| should be to superintend the construc-
tion Of new roads and the maintenance
aud repair of. old ones. There should be
some system in opening aud in working.
The present method of working is exc
| cradle. Travel and traffic are subordi-
mated to whims Of laziness and stinginess.
1t is true economy 10 build good road
and keep it in repair. In some countries
men are permanently employed to work
OH roads. Our "jail birds" might be or,
ganized into effective roadhands inst cad
Of growing fat and vicious at public ex-
pense. Substantial work is better and
cheaper than patch. work. I have cross
ed bridges built thousand years ago and
travelled on roads that are contemporane.
Gus with the Cnsars. have seen dog,
aided by woman, drawing as great
load as mule could pull over some Of
our country roads. l ventured once to
say to Governor Of great State, who
asked my opinion as to message no was
about to write, that if It were my duty
to prepare such paper, instead Of a
long dissertation on Federal relations, or a
discussion Of obsolete issues, I should urge
upon the Legislature the need and the
economy of good country roads.-Dr. j.
L. M Curry, in Southern Planter.