The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-08-05

father of the good roads movement
in his county, and SO much appre-
ciated for his work that be seems TO
hold q life tenure of his office, drove
me over a section of his roads about
two years ago which had been built
three years; it was almost as nara
and smooth as brick pavement ana
he told me that the cost ot keeping
it in repair was almost nothing. he
also told me that the property along
that road had doubled, and IN some
cases auadrupled in value during
those three years that farmers maui
ed wood into Columbia oyer it dis
tance of twelve and fifteen miles;
shat where two bales Of cotton was
considered 8 load through the SAND
beds as they existed before improve
ment. a load of six bales was hauled
With more ease and in less time, aud
that now ten miles an hour with
horse and buggy was ordinary travel
ing when before to drive four to nve
miles was good travelling.
Shortly after my visit to Richland
the Business League of my town
raised 500 to build a sand-clay road
as an object lesson, and having a
farm three miles from town with 8
heavy sand road intervening, I pro-
posed to add 500 If they would build
Che experiment in my direction.
This was agreed to and the road
built. It is not an ideal road, being
built three miles long at a cost OF
$500. 90 or $4,000 per mile, when a
perfecs;road would have cost about
$4,000, but it is SO infinitely superior
60 the sand that I am abundantiy
pleased. Z Invested $500 on the three
miles OF roa2 and it is paying me a
better dividend than any other ln-
vestment which have. It saves
time, and time is money. nave
hanIed I've bales of cotton in the
seed 70 the gin in st. Matthews over
it on one load. On a hot summer
evening can drive to my farm in
twenty minutes with more ease than
I could before in an hour. l am sure
that it has added a thousand dollars
to the value Of the place to which 1t
leads, and I speak only the simple
truth when { tell you I would not
have it transformed into the sand
bed as formerly for twice a thousand
collars. Please bear this fact in
mind: while I spent $4,000, if the
road had been built by an eqnabie
system of taxation the cost to me
would not have been one-tenth OF
that amount.
The subject of good public roads is
being considered to-day more than
at any time since our stage coaches
gave place to roads Of steel and
steeds of fame. Everyone who has
taken thought of the matter agrees
as to their importance and economl-
cal value, but differences of opinion
arise as to the ways and means. My
plan is for the different counties to
borrow money and build the roads.
Ali classes alike enjoy the benefit,
let all classes bear their proper pro-
portion of expense. There is no
question OF public good which SO
nearly touches all classes alike as
this. Our school houses are for In
.straetion, our churches for worship
pers, our jails for criminals, our poor
houses for paupers, our theatres for
pleasure seekers, our court houses
for litigants,. but our roads are for
sll-men and women, old and young,
rich and poor, sick and well, rner-
chant and farmer. banker and man
ufacturer, landlord and laborer each
and all are benefited by good roads.
Experience has proven that the most
satisfactory plan to raise money for
public use is to issue bonds and sell
them in the markets. When our
national government needs money
is sells bonds, when our state needs
money it sells bonds, and when our
municipal governments need money
for street etimprovement, water works,
lights, etc., they sell bonds, school
districts sell bonds for building
school houses, railroads and other
monied corporations sell bonds, and
nv plan Is for Sumter county to is
sue $500, 600 worth offs per cent.
bonds. If you can sell at 4 per cent
or 8 per cent. so much the better. and
right here let me say that Mr.. VII.
Moore, president Of the National
Gocd Roads Association, stated in
speech at Birmingham, Alabama,
that he was working on plan to get
money for this purpose at 8 per cent.
which will, If he succeeds, and ]
have no doubt but he will, reduce
the Eaxation figures that I will give
you 20 per cent. There are l,0O(
miles of public roads in Sumter
county. 100000 will be ample te
build good sand-clay roads on every
mile and good macadam roads
wherever necessary. The yearly in.
terest on these bonds at per cent.
will amount to $4,000. requiring q
tax levy Of just little less than 80
mills to meet it. But some one asks
how about the money to retire these
bonds? My answer is, let the bonds
be refunded when they reach mstur-
ity; the roads are for all future time
let the future bear its part of the ex.
pense.
Let us make an application of this
idea as it affects the individual prop.
erty owner. We will suppose the
case of farmer living say ten miles
from market. We will suppose that
he owns 200 acres of land, three
mules, wagons, COW or two, and
other farm and home necessaries
aud that he returns this property fol