The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1904-02-24
The Lexington Dispatch
Wednesday. February "a, 1904.
Free Bridges and Ferries.

u ASS ~sS~SSS ~~ -
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
During the last few years we have
heard the toll bridge and free bridge
cussed uud discussed Every one
seems to be agreed that the people of
Lexington county are at great dis
advantage financially in marketing
their produce, attending to their busl-
ness in general both in and out OF the
county. Now the people OF Dutch
Fork, as all know, are peculiarly sit
uated, being as it were between
two rivers with no outlet to market
nor inlet to our county seat witaout
first going down into our pockets and
spending about all the surplus or
profit we make to get there. These
conditions should not exist. They
are financially unhealthy to as and
We cannot grow as q county and
develop and enlarge our great re-
sources with such conditions con-
fronting our commonwealth. In my
Judgment it is all mistaken idea to
expect Richland county or the city OF
Columbis, or any other county or
city coming to our relief and helping
US ont of the dilemma; and tits worse
than folly for US to be always expect
ing and waiting for somethi-is-o
turn up in the way OF electric car
lines. etc. What we want is for the
citizenship OF this gand old county
to get their heads, hearts and hands
together and devise some means to
escape from this constant drain
upon our resources. Why, Mr.. Edi-
tor, believe we people annually pay
as much to the bridge companies and
toll ferries than out county taxes
amounts to. The charge made by
these bridges and ferry companies
are exorbitant. Just think OF it!
The, one horse farmer carries his
bale of cotton or load of hay to the
market. He gets it weighed for the
sum of 10 cent but his bridge toll is
rs cent. He csfries his load of wood
to the market which brings him only
$l.00 out of which he has to pay the
bridge company 20 per cent. of his
gross sales for crossing. Ii he has
a two horse load of wood it costs him
Is per cent of his gross sales to mar
set that. Why, no city ever charged
such license as 20 per cent of the
gross receipt of any business con-
Quoted within it's limits. If it did
it would have all the merchants in the
poor house in a few years. But here
comes the one hourse farmer along
with his load of wood. He has worked
hard to keep up the public roads lead
ing to these toll bridges, and when
he gets there they say 20 per cent
on the sales of that load OF wood or
swim the river just as you like. Then
we see another poor old man who
pays his county 50 tax on what little
personal property; gets his dimes and
nickles together, bitches up old Sor.
rell and starts to the village. When
he comes to the river we hear the wa
ters murmur as they flow: ''Too old
to pay poll tax, too old to work the
roads, too poor to own real estate, but
if you 60 to the village today you
will have to plank down your 25 cents
or walk, swim or wade. And again,
these toll bridges and ferries are such
drawback and hinderance to our
courting population. When young
sporting bachelor or widower is
forced to pay out 25 cents to some
corporation, company or individual
so as to get to see his best girl smile.
While it is an imposition upon his
pocketbook it knocks the young
lady out of box of candy that she
might otherwise have gotten.
Yes, Mr.. Editor, We might we'll and
truthfully say that toll bridges and
ferries at this day and time are truly
bulworks against civilization, when
we consider the mass and class OF
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