The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-09-26

. w VI loWloHip WHICH liNpN lIScl1 eve
/ for macadam, though before complain
, ing of being poor, tha, afterwards re
| GREETED the expenditure. 1t costs NOR
: to use bad roads than il does TO max
} good ones, he said.
" Professor Holmes is the State gcol
5 ogist OF North Carolina, Il man of fin
Sclcntl'lc atlainmCntS, for some tim,
being also on the lecturers stalf of tn,
UnltcdiStatcs agricultural department
Ills visit was much appreciated ano
will do great good
Congressman Talbcrt presided ovc1
the meeting, making an earnest pie;
Tor practical action. Senator Il. II
Iillman opened the addresses, bcin.
followed by Prof. Holmes. Senator
Iilman said il was necessary to en-.
t!rcly overhaul the road system Of the
county, having rcsurvrycd and re-
! located. 1t was useless to continue to
work roads that were in the wrong
places, which could not be madc GOOD
with any amount OF work on account
OF the hills and upon which work was
soon washed away. He thought a
communication tax should be levied in
stead Of road duty and Il property tax
imposed, and the whole system put
upon a cash basis, using hired squads
which should be kept constantly at
"or k. He spoke for twenty minutes,
urging action of the property holders
and voters OF The county to put down
proper system of roads, as it would
decrease the cost OF hauling, increase
| profits, increase the values of lands
and largely help to bring prosperity to
the people.
Gen. Nj. g. Butler also addressed
The meeting, and said he agreed with
Senator Tillman and Prof. Holmes that
what the system OF Edg"lield County
needed most was TO be rcsurvcycd and
relocated and he had long held this
opinion. lie could not hclp thinking
II This every time he rode about, it
hulng so apparent how easily bad hills
,"uld be avoided. He wanted u see a
county engineer in every county in The
state. He had written series of
articles III The News aud Courier several
ars ago, in when he undertook TO
show what great loss the people Of
'hc State were sustaining on account of
bad roads; he had estimated the cost
Il repairs to vehicles in various cOun-
llrs in the State on account OF bad
reads, aud the figures wrrc appalling.
Land could not have any yrca, value
With the character OF the roads now
visiting being permitted to remain
year after year in lhe county. lie
favored personally an increase in the
,ummutatiun tax and lGvyir1 Of a
special property lax for roads. Good
roads would cost something, but they
were worth the cost. Eut Whatever
WAS done should be done under as per-
feet Il system us possible.
Gcnciul Butler introduced rcsolu-
ti"t, which he hat carefully prepared
before the meeting, asking The Lcgis.
laturc a. It's hcXt session to pass d bill
adding the duties Of attention To the
improvement Of the State highways TO
The office Of the railroad commission,
making it the railroad aud highway
commission" requiring The creation of
the Offices OF the county engineers and
making of returns Of the condition Of
highways i'll the various counties.
This suggestion OF General Buffers
should be met with favor. Massa-
chusetts, New York, New Jersey and
other Northern States have State high
way commits. ions which are dong
wonders in the Improvement of the
highways Of those States. Massa-
chuscits spends 5000 900 Il year in
building short model macadam and
other roads in all parts Of the State,
under its commission. We have ha,l
an era of railroad building that has alb
sorbcd the attention and energies of
the people for years, but now railroad
building Is taking care Of itself, and
tie people of the entire country arc
| taking up the matter of improving
public highways as they did before the
beginning Of railroad building. 1t is
| only within the last five or fen Years
| that even The Northern States have re-
sumcd The old.time attention to the
public roads, New Jersey beginning
the work III 1891 and Massachusetts
making her first appropriation IN 1898.
south Carolina in lS20-3O had a State
commissioner Of highways and canals,
and many good roads were built.
4" EX-Govcrnor Sheppard made a
spirited address. He believed in an
| increase Of the communication tax and
levy Of a special property tax, but that
care should be exercised not to make
these too high. Representatives
Strom, Rainsford and Mayson spoke,
all advocating reasonable increase of
communication tax, and proper property
lcuy. Mr.. Strom insisted that the
roads should be resurvcycd and rclo,
Gated as it was the utmost Of cXtrava.
"ancc to try TO make good roads up tho
bills, which were always washed tC
pieces. Mr.. Mayson was Tor pro
pcrly tax TO build roads, 80 that il
would reach the factory, The bank, tho
railroad, the alien landowner, and al
who would be benefited by good roads
at present only the individual, no mat
ter how poor he was or how rich, die
all the work Of building and Keeping
up The roads.
Hon. l.. J. Williams, who is chair
man OF the State dispcnsary board o
control, said he believed the time
had come to act, and proposed