Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-08-04
WORK FOR THE STATE
Gen. Butter Makes q Valuable
Suggestion TO The
Legislature.

To the Editor of The State:
If the legislature would
appropriate one hundred thousand
dollars a year for ten years, and
distribute it rateably among the
counties, according to area, ropula-
tion or taxes paid into the state
treasury, on some equitable
plan, to be used in relocating and
building roads, at the end of the
decade our lands would be enhanc-
ed at least 25 per cent, our work
stock greatly improved, and with
our farm wagons and pleasure
carriages, endowed with longer life,
our country churches and schools
more easily and better attended,
our mails more quickly and
promptly delivered and life
generally made less a burden.
Supplement the appropriation
with provision for the appointment
of Il competent chief engineer of
roads, charged with the general
supervision of highways.
You will ask what is the need of
a chief engineer without assistants
in each county. Supply these
from the beneficiary cadets to the
Citadel and Clemson. Require
these cadets to serve two years as
assistant engineers of their
respective counties at reasonable
salaries. 1t would be a good post
graduate school forthe boys and
help the counties and State
generally.
Surely each county would be
willing to furnish rock crushers
engines and necessary implements
for road making and repairing
nppIupI iatlOh.
Iu addition 10 this, atsign ys'c; 50
many peniteniary convicts to each
county as a permanent highway
force, to be organized and kept
constantly at work as such.
take it enough convicts can
be spared without encroaching on
the hands necessary to operate the
State farms.
Now, why isn't this practical?
One hundred thousand dollars
per annum would not be 10 cents
per capita of our population, and
what a vast and incalculable
benefit 1t would be to everybody.
Such sum annually spent
intelligently, judiciously and
systematically on our public roads
would work wonders. And it need
not intefere with the present road
law. Road squads could be warned
out as usual, and these hands could
be required to work under the
general road system and engineer
ing supervision.
l throw out these suggestions with
a view of provoking discussion. If
they are not the best and none of
.he more practicable, can't sombody
suggest plan that is? 1t is a very
vital question. Now that we have
'ailroads enough at least for the
present requirements of commerce,
,r, rather, for the rapid prompt
interchange of commodities to
distant points; now that the
rational government has expended
Ind is expending millions of
dollars for the improvement of
'ur rivers and harbors, why can't
We muster enterprise enough to
make good roads for the local
lcc ommodation of the people.
We have railroads. we have
,avigable streams, but roads, such
'oads, such roads to reach them!
Subjoined is a letter from Capt.
Black, United State engineer, the
accomplished engineer COM
missioner of the District of
1t seems to me it would be
,dvisable for each county to supply
is supervisor with copy of these
publications, to be kept in the
ffice of the clerk Of the court Il
or the instruction of supervisors
nd road overseers.
NJ. G. BUTLER. {