The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-01-24
BROAD TIRE BILL.
Passed by the State Senate by a
Large Majority
HOW THE SENATORS VOTED.
Nearly Two-Thirds of Them Favor
the Good Roads Measure.
Full Text of the Bill
as II Passed.

as It Passed.
The Broad Tire Bill was fully dis
cussed in the State Senate on Wednes
day and finally passed by a very large
majority.
Senator Ragsdale moved to strike
out the enacting words and spoke to his
motion in opposition to the bill. AL
though the supervisor Of his county,
Fairfield, had endorsed the bill, he said
the sentiment among the men who use
wagons was against it. Fairfield is a
hilly county and the wagon owners say
the wide tire wheels will slip of the
hills.
Senator Sarratt opposed the bill on
very much the same grounds as did
Senator Ragsdale. He thought the
wide tires would not work on roads in
his county.
Senator Applet said he would not
vote against the bill but would ask for
Clarendon to be exempted.
Senator Bowen thought the bill
would be hardship on Pickens.
Senator Mayfeld took the floor and
began by saying the roads in Pickens
were the finest in the southern states
The present road law is modelled after
the Pickens idea. He was raised in
the county adjoining Pickens, and as a
boy had worked on the roads there.
The United States department had sent
commissioner to Pickens who highly
com mplimented the roads. The saw mill
wagons had broad tires and he had never
seen or heard Of any Of them slipping
into the gulleys. In late years he had
lived in the low country and had no.
ticed the advantage of broad tires on
sandy roads. They were good for both
clay and sand roads. In sand, the
wide tires packed the road. He de-
tailed the work of investigation by the
Clemson authorities which he had wit
messed. The road taken for expert
ment was the worst in his section and
all who saw it afterwards agreed that
the broad tires were good. All timber
wagons, traction engines and vehicles
for heavy loads use broad tires. Div
ers would always hitch up wagon with
broad tires in preference to one with
narrow tires. He favored the bill be-
cause it would belp the country to have
good roads. The country could not
have macadam or telford roads but
could have good dirt roads and wide
tires would pack the roads.
Senator Hough of Lancaster said the
people of his county also opposed the
bill but he would vote for it because he
thought it good bill and the opposi-
ton was because the people did not un-
derstand what benefit it would be.
There are no broad tires 10 use in his
county.
Senator Connor Of Orangeburg
thought the use Of wide tires would not
build good roads but Vould only aid in
preserving the roads. He doubted if
the bill would be operative, though he
did not know that he would vote
against it.
Senator Manning vas surprised at
some Of the statements which had been
made in opposition. Scientific tests
show that on all soils the broad tire has
lighter draught. At the last session
this was admitted as to al soils except
sand and the experiments made during
the year at Bamberg had proved it true
in regard to sand also.
The bill is a plain, simple one.
There is nothing drastic in it and it
gives ample time for the introduction
of broad tires. 1t can do no harm. If
any one engaged in hauling would once
use wide tires he would never 60 back
to the narrow. He lived in sandy
country, and his hands always preferred
the broad tires. The passage of this
law would introduce the wide tire.
Senator Henderson favored the bill,
but did not think counties ought to be
exempted as such law would not have
any good effect. The senate may as
we'll meet the subject fairly and
squarely.
Senator Mauldin, the author Of the
bill, took the floor. He gave his per-
sonal experience. He had had more to
do with hauling than any other man on
the floor. In the war he had been a
ouartermaster and all WHO knew him
knew he had some knc Tledge of haul |
ing. He had since the !sar had expert
ence in hauling heavy loads in the lum-
Der and turpentine business in the low
country and had also lived in GreenVllle
and Anderson and knew the roads up
there. Not only the scientific were on
his side but the practical men who are
building roads IN this State. He read
an extract from the Edgefeld super
visor's letter endorsing wide tires. He
had favorable letters from supervisors
of counties whose senators opposed the
bill. The supervisors ought to know
as much about roads as the senators,
and if the counties had not elected su-
pervisors who knew something about
roads they had made a mistake. In
reference to pleasure vehicles, he said
they did not cut the roads. AS to
wagons slipping from roads, there was
40 excuse for such conditions as would
permit this. The United States gov
ernment uses wide tires, and SO do all
States which are trying to build good
roads. They are used in France. AS
to the CONSTITUTIONS! question in regard
to section /, he said the lawyers might
have to settle that, but it would not
make much difference if this were left
out.
Senator Graydon sid that without
rejecting on counties whose senator's
were opposing the bill, he represented
progressive county which was endea7
oring to have good roads, and Able
yilles supervisor heartily endorsed