The morning news., 1897-08-17
Trying to Muddy the Waters.

There seems TO be a well-conceived and
tenaciously adhered to plan Of mixing up
county affairs so that the public will lose
sight Of the main issues. The Meridian
road is not an issue, for the reason that
the fact that it is not being pushed to COM
pletion is not doing any particular injury
to the public welfare just at this time, and
moreover because it is useless to discuss
the road while the power behind the
throne" has another project in hand. The
suggestion that the purpose Of the Meri-
dian road was to benefit the Bethesda or
phan house is simply ridiculous. The road
was designed to accommodate a large sec
ton OF the county by building one good,
straight highway which would be ben
eft TO a number of citizens and at the
same time open up the county lands to sale
and settlement This has been stated be-
fore. but it seems that the county com
missioners, or their defenders. prefer to
say otherwise
However, the completion of the Meridian
road is not an issue at this time, and the
Morning News merely refers to it 50 as to
guard against a confusion In the public
mind The questions at issue are these:
% Why should Buckhalter swamp which
is seven to eight mics from the court
house, be drained at an unknown, but nee
essarily great outlay, when the drainage
near the city is unfinished, and (2 why
should new and unneeded roads be built
when there as good. hard, toll roads for
sale which can be bought for one-quar-
ter to one-third Of the sum which the
county would have TO pay for the new
roads?
The latest objections which have been
advanced against the purchase of the toll
roads by the county are, that the shell
roads are Objectionable and hence the
shells would have to be plowed up and the
roads re-hardened with Augusta gravel,
and that the cost would be quite .arge. No
argument is needed in defense of a well
constructed and well kept shell road. The
insistence upon Augusta gravel is rather
striking, the idea apparently being that it is
better to pay for the gravel in Augusta,
pay freight on it to Savannah and build a
railroad track to the place it is to be used,
than it is to buy shells at home, at Thun-
derbolt or White Bluff, with which to keep
the roads in repair. The idea of "plowine
up" the roads and repaving them with
Augusta gravel. at great cost which
would have to be added to the cost price
paid to the owners of the toll roads, is an
argument which beats the record"
"Plowing up" and repaviug are not in the
least necessary. Why pillow up" the
roadway? There is a proverb, however.
which says poor excuse is better than
no excuse at all.
Meantime the public should keep well
abreast Of the purposes of the board of
county commissioners, and examine well
the arguments that are advanced in sup
port of its enterprises. When the public
money has been wasted there will be no
way of making reclamation. Public opin-
ion should prevent the waste of public
money in the beginning. Every taxpayer
should enter protest against further out
lay of money or labor upon BuckhaIter
swamp, and against the new roads, while
the drainage near the city is incomplete
and people are compelled to pay tolls TO
the shell road companies