The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-03-10
"JuStice" Argues Agaiu.
Editor MANNING TINES:

Editor MANNING TINES:
You said in your last issue Of THE
TIMES, "'Member County Board
Returns to the Attack" l am sure
it did not escape your notice that he
fired a blank cartridge, protecting
himself behind an embankment Of
education that had nothing to do
with the subject at issue. He did
not answer a single question. He
says somewhere in the County the
roads have not been properly worked,
but says he knows not where, and
says he can only answer for his own
section; the roads there being in
good condition. What does the grand
jury say, which represents all parts
of the County? They say the roads
throughout the county, and several
of the bridges are in pretty bad con-
dition-that is what they say.
I will excuse Commissioner, as /
have no doubt he got up into Sumter
County, where, l am told, they are
improving their roads. So far as l
am ware, he knows very little about
the roads in his own County. He
must have been the member, who,
when canvassing for higher Office,
got ten miles away from the court
house and had to inquire the way to
Manning, though he was by the side
of railroad that runs there and a
public road running parallel.
He refers to previous communlca-
ton of mine as to working the roads
by hired overseers and shows the i'm
possibility, as the appropriation
would not permit of it.
l will throw u little light on the
matter to clear up my suggestion:
The road law requires four days
work, or in lieu, tax of 50. If the
Supervisor should give notice that
every man subject to road duty
would be required to work four days,
there would be found 500 mel that
would pay the 50 tax. Many would
pay it if they knew the money was to
be spent On the roads.
Now, please allow me to explain
for his information, and that of
others, what could be made the re-
suit. We have in place of $500 hands,
1000, making a total of 5000 days
work. Allowing each hand to move
five cubic yards of earth, and that is
only q half days work, that would
give 100000 cubic yards, allowing one
lineal yard, would be all that is neces-
sary to fill most of our slush or mud
holes. Some more and some less, the
grand total would be twenty-three
miles of slush filling, allowing 10 per
cent. of the roads to be slushy, would
give 230 miles of dry road in all
weather. In two years we would
have 460 miles of dry roads and no.
body hurt; but all benefited.
l heard it stated during the last
administration of our County officials
that they could not put the chain
gang out, as they had no appropria-
ton to hire guards. ! will make a
few figures on that: 1t costs 30 cents
day to feed prisoners; two would
cost so cents. l can hire any number
of good, honest, trustworthy men for
50 cents day. To guard them, they
can be fed for cents each; for two
prisoners it would cost, guard, sc
cents; rations, 16 cents; total, sc
cents; loss, 6 cents. For three pris-
oners, guard, so cents; rations, "a
cents; total, "A cents; profit Is cents.
For four prisoners, guard, so cents
rations, 30 cents; total, 81 cents
profit, 3S cents.
Now, take four as basis for one
year, they would move, say, six cubic
yards each day, making a total OF
1900 yards; that would fill four miles
of slushes, equal to forty miles, add
these forty miles to the 400, and in
two years, without a dollar appro-
priation for roads, you have 500 miles
of dry roads and everybody happy,
even the foot pedestrian as he keeps
his feet dry. Then follow up the
work and in five or six years you will
have all your roads ditched, brought
to proper widths and travelling will
be pleasure, while strangers will
come to our County and settle among
US. As it now stands, they are not
coming.
Member says he does not deal in
slang and does not wish for news
paper controversy and will have
nothing more to say, and refers me
to the new Board. AS yet they have
had no time to do anything, but if
they don't steer in a different line
from the old Board, they will, in all
probability, hear from