The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1901-02-13
A PLEA FOR GOOD ROADS.

from q pamphlet treating on road
building. and issued from the gov
ernment presses, which we commend
to the careful consideration of our
readers.
The subject that should engage
our attention more than any other is
that of good roads, and to have them
we must familiarize ourselves with the
theory and principles OF the practical
system of road building. There is
no subject that appeals more strongly
nor more directly to the interests OF
every locality and every citizen OF
the county than this one does. 1t is
the paramount, if not the most vital
question OF the hour and one that.
if it has not already done 50, will in
evisably demand from US our most
thoughtful attention as well as fnan-
cial contributions.
Bad roads is perhaps reflex
of the character and habits of the
people in whose community they are
and therefore, as business and social
Investment it will pay to put and
keep the roads of the community in
the best possible condition. There is
no question about the public roads
of Lexington being in deplorable
condition. One only has to travel
them during wet spell for evidence
sufficient to convince the most mex
orsble doubling Thomas of the
correctness OF this statement. There
is hardly road in the county bot
what there is somewhere along it's
winding length evidences in the way
of mud holes, washouts, etc, of the
csrelessness of our people in regard
to this matter. We will not go so
far as TO say that the roads as they
now are reflex the character and
habits of our people, for such an as
sertion would not be true. What
we raean to say is, that for many OBJ
vious reasons We have not paid near
the attention to repairing and build
ing our roads as we should have done.
It is not necessary st this time to
mention all the reasons for the bad
condition of our roads. It is suf-
fcient that they exist and are pain
fully apparent. Chief among them
is the fact that heretofore there has
been no pressing necessity which
called for the expenditure of brains,
muscle and money upon our roads
rs there is to day. The people have
been contented to pull their loads to
and from market in the same old
ruts their fathers did years and years
ago. Another important reason for
our indifference, is the system, or
rather lack of system, of road work
ing which has been in vogue in this
State since the memory of man run
meth not to the contrary. Those
who have had experience in working
the roads under the compulsory sys-
tenn know that it is absolutely impos-
sible to work the roads under such an
unsatisfactory system with any degree
Of permansney. At road workings
those liable to road duty respond to
the warner with reluctance and Of
tentimes with the idea that all that is
required of them is to give a lick
here and one there regardless of
where the boe falls and Indifferent as
to results which follow.
But the times have changed and
this enlightenedage has brought about
q demand for better roads. New
systems have been adopted and new
and improved machinery employed
and the consequences are that those
communities which have adoptedthem
have splendid road beds and the cost
Of maintaining them is reduced to
minimum. After a road bed is
built under the new system it needs
but little if any repairs, so that even
from an economical standpoint it
pays in dollars and cents to build
them with view to permsnancy. If
we expect to keep up the with pro-
gessive spirit of the times she must
pay more attention to the condition
of her roads. There is no getting
around this fact and the sooner that
it is done the better it will be for
as. As a start in this direction what
is to prevent the County Commis
sioners from using the fund
arising from the sale of whisky,
which now goes into the general,
fund, to purchase rock crusher and
with the chain gang and commuta
tion road tax put our roads iu such
condition that they shall not make
as ashamed.
Many of the people of Brookland
have on foot a movement 10 increase