Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-02
Our Public Highways.

United States Senator. NJ. T.. Butler, of
South Carolina, has commenced in earn
est his work of investigating the dirt road
question and thus writes to the Charleston
Nel0S and Courier:
"Let US visit all the countries OF the
earth, sand wherever we find no facilities
for travelling from city to town, or from
a village to hamlet, we may presume the
people to be barbarians."
This sentiment was uttered by a French
writer of distinction about the middle of
the 18th century, something more than a
hundred years ago. Now while we have
some facilities for travelling from a city
to a town or from village to hamlet"
l am afraid in parts Of the country, and
between a number Of our settles and
towns" and ''villages and hamlets," we
have not such facilities as will take us
entirely out of the category embraced in
this sweeping statement. | am sure l
should feel inclined to resent the imputa-
ton OF ''barbauaniSm" if it should be ap-
Piled to this locality, and yet If "iacilities
for travelling is to be construed as refer
ring to public highways, and they are TO
be the measure Of our advancement in
civilization, do not see how ] could well
escape Impeachment. Many Of our high
ways are public roads only in name. We
manage to get over them after fashion,
BGL LHcH GdUuDb DG Stttl " lulu lcu luClll-
ties for travelling" In many places their
location is faulty, their construction worse
and their maintenance superlatively bad;
and it makes one feel like "barbarIan'
or heather, whatever may be his preten-
siOns to a civilized existence, every time
he travels over ''chrOnic case' of bad
road. l have tried to find some way out
of the sold ruts' and at the same time
adhere to our present system of public
woodworking but have not succeeded. l
do not believe there is way out except
by changing the law. The force provided
By law is strong enough in numbers and
muscle, but the machinery for utilizing
the force is defective and inefticaciOus. 1t
does not operate efficiently. You may
bind together an army of the best lighting
material in the world and, however SKILL
full and able the General, without organ
izatiOn and discipline they will be no more
effective in military operations than
mob. You may assemble upon the public
highways of South Carolina a hundred
thousand or a hundred and fifty thousand
Of the most stalwart labOrers to be found,
to work and keep them in repair, and if
there is no other inducement to make
them do their work well than their own
vOlition and the presence Of an Oyerseer
or superintendent, they had almost as
we'll be at home. There is really no other
inducements under orr system, unless
you take into account the sentiment of
patriotism and the meagre penalties pro-
vided in the statute. Patriotism never
worked road fit for goat to travel from
the days when the Roman COnsuls and
PratOrs made their enduring ''ways," to
the last spasmOdic efforts on the Horns
Creek Hills in this county. And the
.spenalties" have few terrors for the aver
age road hand. We place in the hands OF
our County Commissioners a huge ma
chine without the power to make it opera
tive, and yet expect them to give us good
roads. They simply cannot do it, if each
one of them was an expert, as accom-
plished as McAdam or Teliour, and would
devote every working day IN the year to
this business and no other.
1t was part Of my purpose originally
to have given a synopsis of the road laws
of several of the States as well as Of our