Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-04-24
Observation-Disclosures
E GOOD ROADS
e VS..
E BAD ROADS.
HOW TO Do IT.

I have not seriously advocated
an immediate issue of bonds to
build a macadam system of roads
in Edgefeld county, that is, not
with the view of insisting on such
a course. What has been present
ed has been in the way of argu-
ment to show, as the writer sees it,
the wisdom of such a procedure
merely. I had not thought that
the majority of the people of the
county are yet prepared to vote for
such bonds for a stone road sys-
tenn or will be for some time, tho
in this may be mistaken. l ad-
NIT I have discovered since I be-
gan the articles, a wider feeling in
favor of something radical in i'm
provement of the roads, than / at
first expected existed. My pur-
pose has been to suggest the ad-
visibility of issuing bonds for a
road system to the thoughtful
minds of the county, with the ar
guments supporting it, and then
let the argument work out in its
own time if it had the strength to
do so. A bond issue for thispurpose
will come in a few years-it may
be 10 or 15-will have to come, the
people will demand good roads,
and there will be no other way to
get them. I myself would say is
sue the bonds now and build a
system of $50 or 200 miles of
roads, at a cost of $15O,OOO or
100000, just as hundreds of other
sections are doing. [ don't see
that we will be any better able to
build them later than now, the
road exists now as much as it ever
will, money is now flush and in
terest low. Apart from the ordi-
nary good that such roads would
do us, their value as part of a
plan of development" would
make their construction wise.
Villages and towns issue bonds to
build water-works, sewerage sys-
TENS etc, as a matter of develop
ment-they make the value of
property increase. So a system OF
macadam roads would increase the
value of property and do more to
"develop" Edgefeld county than
anything else, good system would
make the value of land to the
county increase realty a million
dollars. But there are naturally
variety of opinions on this sps-
ject. Let us merelylc Them revolve
for Yhs3it is worth, among those
Tho insist to think about it.
One thing becomes manifest
however, in a discussion of the
road subject, and that is, that the
road system Of the county is now
horrible ard ought to be improv.
ed. A writer in the Edgefeld
Chronicle recently said he thought
the county convict gang was a
curse to the county as now used
This opinion must obtain with the
most thoughtful, and this without
reflection upon the county authori-
ties who ase not responsible. The
people over the. county "wait" for
the convict force to work their
roads, neglecting them themselves,
and after the county force has
worked road, the local overseers
as rule lie back for several years
without work, until the road has
gone to the dogs again. The con-
vict gang therefore does a positive
injury in many respects or could
better be employed relocating
roads, "around" the hills and gra-
ding down the hills. In the wri-
ter's opinion this is it's proper
work.
The system of road working by
public hands, as we do it in Edge
field county, has proven unsatis-
factory all over the United States.
Neighborhood overseers do not
know how to work the roads. 1t
is impracticable to furnish ma
chinery to so many squads, and it
is well known that improved road
machinery, scrapers etc., can do
the work of large number of
hands. Again as in nothing else
probably so much does a "stitch
IN time saves nine" as in road
early washes need early stopping,
and if this is done much economy