The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-10-22
GOVERNMENTS
AND ROADS.
ROADIMpROVEMENT ANALYzED.
Mr.. Siernsee's Address to the Road
Congress. Important Suggestions.

fore the recent South Carolina Road
Congress held il Columbia by Nj.
Frank Niernsee. gives some interest
ing Information in regard to roads Of
the past and contains some suggestions
SIS to the improvement Of the roads
Of the present period that seemed to
strike the convention favorably:
From tn" time Of Moses there have been
J, royal roads First tn" Esyptia:lS. afterwards
::ssArhe ISrtslitcs and then the Greeks called
s$s heir lines Of travel that Were not used for
ssSgEl gElecia purposes royal roads or kings high
sAays In Gr=c:r the rovai roads were in
ssected and carei for by the senate at
IN Lace':eH!onia, Thetes and ott
they were Under the supervision
ssN mos: eminent El"E. Their reads. bow
sHvcr. wero not the h"$t Of the ancient. Il
1t was reserved for 4 commercial city, Garth
age. TO build tI!e first lav";! roads The 70
mans followed ti!e example Of the Carth:s~
Sen!aIs and their great highways. which
) connected Rome with lis provinces were the
most renowned and Durable ever construct
cd. Al over Europe. Asia and Africa
wherever their cmrerorS ruled, they build
roads that have been supposed by the Sill;
;,crs;itions Of different ;g,.S. TO have been Of
supernatural oriyiD- Th:S is attested by the
names applied to them il Italy. England,
France and Spain. In the last mentioned
they have been known by such names as
a calzadadel-diablo (roads OF the dcvil. cal
SSSSSszada de las GiSantes (roads OF the giants:
- AccordinS to ST. 1sidore the first paved road
sssas built by the CarthagenianS. and the
;|same authority states that the Pnpnicians
opened and left to their successors. 4 'oad
across the Pyrennecs and the Alps many
centuries before the Christian era. The
most ancient Roman road outside Of Italy
was in Spain and led from Carthayena to the
Pyrennees, where it connected with others
- that led across the Alps 10 Rome. This road
aSwas travelled by the legioaS Of Scipio. The
S@eisn OF Augustus is renowned for
s he roads then completed. The
;ompcror made the system o. commuu-
Vocation 50 complete that little else was left for
vs. his successors TO do than to care for the
q roads already constructed. Ofhis successors,
z Trajan was the most Jealous, as is shown by
. various inscriptions. in preserving the public
highways and in constructing others. His
example was followed ny others but after
wards the authority Of the cmperors declin-
ed and little care was given to distant public
work. The removal Of the court to Byzantine
by Constantine completed the abandonment
OF road building and was the beginning OF
the decline OF tha: magnificent system OF
o. highways that laced Eomc 20 its most distan:
provinces. I'he Romans divided their ROADS
into military highways, called pretorlan
thoroushfares and local Was The irst was
built to facilitate the marching OF armies and
toconnect the capital with the principal
cities and strategic points. They were COZ
structed and Kept in repair by the lmperla!
government. The second were the routes OF
commerce and connected towns and trade
centres. and were constructed to assist the
relations s.n1 Intercourse Of traffic. They
were built and maintained by municipal
governments. In Austria there are two
Glasses oE roadS-one called the state road
which is entirely under the control Of and
kept in complete repairs BY the government.
The other, known as a provincial or district
road. which are maintained and kept II re-
pair partly by the government and partly
:. bv the provinces through which they pass.
In France the public roads are divided
into three classes as follows: First, national
or state roads constructed and maintained
by the state Second. department roads,
entirely at the cost Of the departments. and
third township roads. which. though con-
o., strrcted By the conmuneS, receive. IN most
cases. support either from the state OK from
the departments for their maintenance.
The modern road system Of France was
inaISurated by the First Napoleon and car
ried forward TO its satisfactory and splendid
conclusion by Napoleon the Third.
= The road system Of France has been Of
far greater value to the country as means
Of raising the value Of lands and putting
small proprietorS in easy communication
with their markets than have the railways.
It is the opinion Of we!linformed Frenchmen
who have madea practical study Of economic
problems, that the superb roads OF France
nave been Que Of the most steady and potent
contributions TO the material development
and. marvellous financial elasticity Of that
AGountry The far-reachlnS and Splendldly
a maintained road system has distinctly fav-
SsareG the success Of the small landed pro-
Y prietors and in their prosperity and the
ensuing distribution OF wealth lies tho key
to tho secret Of the wonderful financial
vitality and solid prosperity OF the French
nation.
In Germany the roads are also under
government control.
In England the turnpike system took
care OF the maintenance Of roads up to 1878,
when by an act Of parliament the system was
abolished. The new system puts the duty
and maintenance Of the highways upon the
:. taxpayers OF the parish and is managed by
their highway surveyor. Second. parishes are
united into districts for the common object,
undec the supervision Of the highway boards
Third. municipal boroushs and towns have
powers conferred upon them TO perform the
duties Of highway surveyors wlthlir their
boundaries. Lastly. the central authority. the
local government board. LOnGOu.iS lntri;Stcd
with general Superintendence OF the several
systems Ior the benefit ofthe nation al large.
"A general invitation for all tnose in
terested in good roads has been wisely issued
by the road supervisors Of our State. This
action is in the line OF progress and in the
several States there are societies devoted to
. road improTeme ent and 4 union Of all these
interested should hasten the day when the
different parts 0! the country will be Joined
hy good. permanent highways. instead Of
roads that now alternate between slouShs OF
mud and almost Sahara-liSe dust. There Is
no reason why the State OF South Carolina
should not have her public roads in condition
United States. In the low country
the ground is level aud in these
sections are abundance Of shell and good
gravel The middle and northern portions
also have plenty OF fine gravel, Gneiss,
granite and flint rock. all easily accessible.
which could he broken and crushed. spread
upon our roads and then rolled with heavy
roller, which would lot only make cheap
material for nacadaA.. tut most dnraeie
one.
.. THE State should ali the counties by an
annual appropriation, bearing in nlG'l that
our public roads are th" primary routes OF
the commerce Of the nation; that thy ara
Justly entitled 70 Stat" and national ALI II
their improvement HS 80 :i'' v1'"i"1t
The State and nation ~. h,t:r .din.'"- -"
having the highways ","ri /" iui tt"nSrprta-
ton during m" year property j. advanced"
IN |atu": farmers ar.: "n:QtcaGnd 10 make
their business >eIf-suslaininS If not largely
more profitable. The saving in time and
labor are very important items in lesseninS
the cost Of production. The merchants Of
our cities are also directly benefited.
commercial organizations r"c"yni-:a the
= force ofthis argument and the utterauceS Of
sa$sle boards Of trade. chambers Of commerce,
Skins ami financial institutions can he
~ In 1892 the national hoard of tral-