The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-08-02
OUR PUBLIC HIGHWAYS,
Senator Butler Bcsins tho Discussion OF
the Subject.

OUN pUbLlC HIGHWAYS.
Senator Butler Higgins tho Discussion OF
the Subject.
EDGEFIELD, ). c., July II.
"l-etus visit all the countries Of the
| earth, and wherever we fiud no facilities
tor travelling from city to town, or
from village to n hamlet, we may pro.
sumo the people to DC barbarians."
This sentiment was uttered by French
| writer 0t distinction about the middle of
The 18th century, something moro than n
hundred years ago. Now, while We have
some facilities for travelling from city
To II town or from village TO hamlet"
| am afraid in parts OF the country and
between number of our 'cities and
towns" and "viIiagcs and hamlets," we
have not such facilities" as will take us
entirety out of the category embraced in
his sweeping statement. am sure
should feel inclined To resent the impu.
tntion of "barbarsm" if it should he an.
piled to this locality, and yet if "faciii.
lies Tor travelling il 10 be constituted as
referring ,n public highways, and they
are To be the measure of0ur advancement
IN civilization, | do not Sec how | could
we'll escape the Impeachment. Many of
"ur highways are public roads only in
oame. We manage to get over them after
fashion, but they cannot be said to fur.
ni.h facilities for travelling." In many
places their location is faulty, their con-
struction worse and their maintenance
1mperla,ively bad and it makes one feel
like barbarian" or heather, whatever
may be his pretensi0ns to civilized exis.
''ncc. every time he travels OYER 8
chronic case" of bad road. have tried
to lind some way out of tho "old ruts''
and ut the same time adhere to our pres.
ent system Of public ruad. working, but
have not succeeded. do not believe
there IL way out except by changing
Tho law. The force provided by law IL
strong enough in numbers and muscle, but
the machinery for utilizing the force ia
defective and incfficacious. 1t does rot
operate efficiently. You may bin. to.
yether an army of the best fighting ma
terial in the world, and, however sEilful
and able the general, without organiza.
ton and discipline they will 6e no more
effective in military operations than
mop. You may assemble upon the pub.
lie highways Of South Carolina n hum
dred thousand or hundred and fifty
thousand of the most stalwart lahorers tn
be found, to work and keep them in
repair, and if their is no other Induce.
ment to make them do their work well
than their own voition, and the presence
II an overseer or superintendent, they
nad almost as we'll be at home. There
ls really no other inducement under our
system, unless you take into account the
sentiment of patriotism and the meagre
penalties provided in the statute. Patri.
"tism never worked road fit for n goat
" travel from the days when the Roman
consuls and prntors made their enduring
ways" TO the last spasmodic efforts on
the Horns Creek Hills in this country.
And the penalties" have few terrors for
me average road hand. We place in the
i'ants oi our county commissioners q
huge machine without the power to make
1t operative, and yet expect them to give
us good roads. They simply cannot do
II, II each one Of them was an expert, as
accomplished as McAdam or Telfourd,
ana would devote every working day in
tue year 10 this business and no other
1t was part of my purpose originally
10 nave given synopsis Of the road laws
II severH! Of the States as we'll as of our
own, but l find upon an examination of
the statutes IT would occupy more of your
space than could properly ask for, and
shall, therefore, content myseIf with
the leading features of our own statutes
tnd such reference to others as occasion
may require. was in hopes by this
time to have had the number of miles of
pnoIlc roads in this State, but rs yet very
lew replies have been made by the sever.
NJ boards OF county commissioners 10 the
questions that took the liberty of sub.
nitting sometime since. The process of
procuring the information appears to me
very simple. Every county is divided
into road districts." Oyerseers are an.
pointed over every section of road. and
of course each knows how many miles
he has under his supervision. So that il
"onid only be necessary to get returns
rom the overseers and add them I'D. /
90 not care that the reports be more than
approximately correct, for my purpose in
asking this Information is TO form some
e,timate (which can only be approximately
" tne COST OF maintenance under Civ.
en- plan. And my interrogations about
1tloges ana ferries were propounded with |
the same view. However, I have no
doubt this information will be forthcom.
ing IN due time, and in the meantime
In my next communication / will ad.
dress myself to the consideration of our
own statutes.
In the interest of an intelligent con.
sideration Of this question II won,d he |
very desirable to know how many per.
sons are liable to road duty in South
Carolina. Taking out the Inhabitants of |
cities and towns, who are not liable, but
are taxed either In their persons or prop /
efty or both for the expenses of the ma !
nicipant; the number of road hauds |
ought to be nlmoss equal to the uumbar |
OF voters outside of incorporated limits |
put mors on this branch of the snbi.ot !
hereafter.