The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-10-30
THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT LAW.
THE NEW SYSTEM IN OUR STATE.

aW-tne Pnplic Roads anu the
Chain-Gang Feature.
Piedmont Headlight.
One OF the greatest reform measures
passed by our last Legislature, and
probably the least understood, is the
County Government Law. Four,years
ago the constitution was amendsd bv
abolishing the Office of county colnmis-
sioners and received large m3jority
| OF the votes of the people. Great dis
satisfaction was manifastse towards
| the old system sefVTounty government
by reascc ~of its inefficiency and ire
sponsibility. 1t will only be necessary
to compare the two systems to convince
| any one that we have indeed model,
as compared to the old style.
Heretofore our county affairs werc
entrusted to three men who received
about $500 each per annum for manag-
ing the finances of tho county, tho
poor house and working the public
roads, besides the many other onerous
duties devolved upon them. II is an
| axiom that whenever responsibility is
divided the service is correspondingly
made inefficient. Such was the case
with these three commissioners i'm
many counties. What was everybody's
business was nobody's business, and
whenever q complaint is made by
citizen of the county to one of tho
officials it was always the other fell
lows business. Our roads were moth
ing mt bitches, worked in an ire
sponsible manner, under no system
whatever. Our farmes we'll know that
whenever hole was made in the road
it was simply filled up with a few pine
tops and covered with dirt and in n
few days its condition was worse than
when first touched. Whenever tree
blew down across the public highway
it was allowed to remain for months.
and road had to be made around it,
simply because no one knew what
particular commissioners business it
was to look after this road. 1t could
not be expected that this system would
be more efficient for the reason that
no good man could afford to take tho
| Office, leave his home and family, and
attend to the public business for $500
and sometimes less per annum.
The most important matter to our
farmers is good public roads. They
are OF moro Importance than railroads
and the most prosperous people in tho
world are those who have the best
roads. Our new county law has this
feature more prominent than any
heretofore existing, and we are salts
fled that If the law is fully carried out
III d 10" YEARS our people Will nave inc
best roads in the South.
The veXed question of what we shall
do with our cOnvicts, so as not to COM
pete with free labor, is settled by this
law by putting them to work on the
highways. Let us review the law.
The first and second sections provide
that the people shall every two years
elect one county supervisor with a
salary of 81 900 in the county of Spar
tanburg. Upon this man is devolved
the duties of the old board of county
commissioners, qualified as hereafter
explained. Thus we have one good
man with salary sufficient to enable
him to leave his other business and
port his wife and children, This man
is placed under II bond of &5, 600 for the
use OF the county, conditioned for tho
faithful performance OF his duties.
So there oan be no doubt as to who is
responsible for the condition OF affairs.
de is given general jurisdiction over
all public highways, roads, bridges
and ferries, over the paupers ard all
matters relating to taxes and disburse-
ments of public funds for county pur-
poses, and in any other case that may
be necessary for internal Improve
ments and local concerns of their
counties.
The Governor, upon the recommen-
dation of the Senator and members Of
the House from each county, appoints
three discreet freehOldcrs in each
township in the county, who are known
as the board Of township commits
slopers. No person is required to
serve moro than once in four years,
and he is exempt while in Office from
road and jury duty. He receives as
compensation the same per diem and
mileage as the county boad Of assess
ors formerly received. This board
takes the place of the old township
board OF assessors, and the chairmen
of the various township boards con-
stitute the board of county commits
sioLers, of which board the county
supervisor is chairman. This board
takes the place of the county board Of
equalization, which board is abolished.
They meet quarterly for the transac-
tion of business.
1t is the duty of the supervisor with
the chairman Of the township board
of commissioners to lay off the roads
into convenient sections which shall
be numbered for the purpose of letting
out the same to be worked under con-
tracts. The board advcrtises for bids
from responsible parties for perfor-
NANCE Oh Work, ana inc lowest bidder
gets the contract. He is required to
give bond for the faithful performance
of the work and for the use of the
county, and if any injury is done to
any person by reason of bad roads this
contractor is liable under his bond and
the county exempt. Thus we have
the responsibility narrowed down to
one man.
a Communication tax of So is levied
in lieu of all road duty, and the money
,, is set aside for the road fund. Those
persons who desire to work out their
time instead Of paying This tax are
allowed to do so, and they can only
, be made to work six days jn year.
The road contractors are forced to
take any and all such persons and pay
the county 30 cents per diem for their
labor Those counties which do not
adopt the contract system of working
the roads arc allowed to continue the
old system under overseers, but it is
safe to predict that once the contract
system is adopted it will never be de-
parted from. 1t will enable our farm
ers to take these contracts and work
the sections of road near thoir farms
on rainy days when they cannot per-
form farm labor, and thus put many a
dollar in their pockets which, under
the old system, was thrown. away.
Any farmer will be able to contract to
keep in repair two or more miles of
road adjoining his farm without the
slightest Inconvenience and give to
the county the best roads in tho South.