The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-06-15

VlSOF anu Ills CTONu ~ CdEeleeoiJ
along dropping slim brush here
and shovel Of dirt there, and
when they have finished their
useless work the roads are often
10 a worse condition than before
they were touched. The holes
so nicely covered over With brush
and dirt after the first rain be-
come almost impossible, and
where d little judicious work
would have prevented it the roads
are washed into deep gulleys and
left to grow worse. So much for
the manner in which the roads
are worked at present, end 1 feel
that l have not exaggerated.
And now what is the remedy ? /
can only offer few, what l consid
er, practical suggestions. Accord
ing to the laws of the State, all
persons liable to poll tax are also
liable to road duty. (There may
be some few exceptions.) Now
the receipts of the State from the
poll tax amounts to about $780,
900 per year. This gives Us in
the same number of people liable
TO road duty. Let the 4egisla,
ture pass an act levying an an
nual tax of one dollar (s1) per
capita on all persons liable TO
poll tax, and We would have $780,
900 each year to ezpend upon our
country roads throughout the
State. Let the act provide that
the tax is for the specific purpose
Of improving the roads, and that
each county be- entitled to. as
much of this total amount as it's
taxpayers have paid for this pur-
pose. Now, of course some coun-
ties would be entitled to moro of
this amount than others, owing to
the excess in number OF tax
payers. But even if all the coun-
ties received equal amounts, each
one would get about So, $500 for the
improvement of its roaos. Some
will doubtless object to this tax
OF one dollar, and yet not disap-
prove the present mode of pro-
viding for the improvement of
roads. Well, let's look at this
matter for a moment.
As before stated, the law de-
mands three (3) days work on
the roads during the year. Now
there is no one whose time is not
worth as much as fifty cents
day at least, so this is giving the
State one dollar and fifty cents
worth of our time, which is gen.
orally worth a great deal more.
So that if the people would look
al this matter from g common
sense point of view, they would
prefer to pay the tax of one dollar
for the years work on the roads,
1t would not do to tax property.
for there are thousands who pay
poll tax and would be liable to
road tax who do not pay a penny
on property, for they have none.
Besides this the tax would be too
unequal. There is in this State
sl38,OO0,0OO of taxable property,
real and personal. This at tax
of one mill, would bring a revenue
Of sl38,00O for the improvements
of roads. But then man worth
$4,000 would have to pay fifty
dollars, while one worth $1,000
would only pay one dollar. This
shows that to tax property would
not do,so the best thing the author:
tiles can do will be to tax each
man the small sum of one dollar
for this good and wise purpose.
Suppose now that auch law is
enacted, Gas l hope there will be)
and each county has it's share of
the tax for the improvement of
it's roads, in what way is the
money to be properly disbursed 80
as TO be of most benefit to that
county ? l would suggest this:
Let the people Of each county
carefully select their county COM
missioners, such men as are
practical, and who will have the
general good of the people at
heart. Now let the county COM
mlssioners let the contracts for
the improvement of the roads in
the different sections Of The county
to such men as they feel perfectly
confident viii! conscientiously full
FL their agreements. Not to men
who will skim over the roads,
doing little or no good, but prac.
tical and common, sense men.
These of course can hire their