Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-08-09

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the Hon. NJ. C. Butler Immediately took up
the subject. He had been invited to discuss
this question before the society, and all were
prepared to hear the full and ably digested
article which he gave.
Col. J. N. Lipscomb followed, showing the
evil effects of the present system, since the
railroad has become the modern highway,
and all other roads are only short cuts, so to
speak, to the various depots on their lines
He said that the highways should be as
much State institutions as our penltentlary,
our asylum, &C., and until this was done,
and proper officers, with full powers to en-
must continue to have the present inefti-
cient system to complain of. There should
| be a land and personal tax for this purpose.
| Then the burden would fall on each class
alike, and no reasonable cause for complaint
be had. The interest of all people in this
matter is identical.
Gen. Butler thought that all private prop
erty taken for public roads should be PAID
for.
Mr.. McNIaster said that the true rule was
one of proportional taxation. He thought
it impossible to carry out the, system Of
State superviSiOn. The tax should be one OF
50 many mills on the value of property.
Mr.. w. II. Gibbes thought that with a
tax of so much head, together with tax
on vehicles, this to be further supplemented
by a special tax of one-half mill, would be
money enough for all purposes.
Mr.. Noise, of Sumter, did not think COM
pusory labor would do. All the good roads
of Europe were paid for by taxation.
Hon. J. G. Blue, ofN1arion, did not think
the plan of putting it under the control of
the State would do. 1t must rest with the
county government.
Mr.. Crayton thought that the plan of
working the streets of a town with the labor
of those who had violated its ordinances
would do as we'll for public highways. He
had seen the plan work we'll in the town in
which he lived.
Mr.. Dibble thought that inasmuch as good
roads enhanced the value of lands, it was to
the interest of land owners to assume the
burden of their maintenance. The county
commissioners should have authority to
give out the roads in sections to contractors
who should keep them in order. They
should have poWerto control all labor liable
for road duty, and a tax should also be lev
led on property for this purpose, thus max
ing labor and capital both contribute to this
end.
At the end of this discussion, in which
many practical remarks were made and IN
which great interest was taken, letters were
ments prevented them from accepting the
invitation of the committee to attend the
Joint meeting. After reading letter from
Col. John Dargan, motion was passed re-
questing that his essay on the subject How
is the supply of labor to be maintained" be
sent to the society.
A letter from Col. j. II. Rion, of Winns-
boro, was read by the secretary.
a letter was read from Judge Haskell, en-
closing articles by eminent men on the sub
iect of the railroadand the farmer, on which
he had been requested to read an essay.
A committee of seven, one from each Con-
gressional district, was appointed to report at
the annual meeting of the society plan for
bringing the different agricultural societies
of the State into official accord with the Agg-
ricultural and Mechanical Society of South
Carolina.
The subject of the RAILROAD and the Far
mer" was next ably discussed by Gen. w.
w. Harllee, who since 1916 has had much
experience in the practical working of these
great iron highways and detailed most
graphically their great value to the State
and the individual.
He was followed by Mr.. Henry T. Will
| liams, of Charleston, whose remarks showed
an intimate knowledge of and ever-increas-
ing interest in this great work. He saw
the evil of the present great railroad COM
| binations, but the day would come when
railroads would be built without their con-
sent. We should be in favor Of free iron
We did not need protection, because nature
is protecting us. We want no more eXpe-
diency, it has been the ruin of the State
Let us build more railroads. They increase
the value of our property and add to the
material wealth of the State. He thought
that Charleston was the natural outlet for
the State. These combinations had en-
deavored to push all trade the other way.
After the reports of the committees were
read, and the transaction of some other busi-
ness, the meeting adjourned.