The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1904-03-30
A Call For Volunteers.


/ noticed in your editorial last
week, under the title Of "Polihcs, "
that we are to elect a number of
men to take care of Pickens coun-
ty, and we are also to send three
men to Columbia, either, | presume,
to keep the balance of the State
from stealing Pickens county or to
ask the balance of the State to hel p
Pickens county do something for
themselves. You do not state
what these men are to do. Will
some one state what we need most
and then pick out the best man for
each ,job-that is, pattern our po-
litical system after our business
systems, and not select house car
penter to dig a we'll.
Now l think we need good
sensible and practical road law in
Pickens county more than any
other law at present, and / for one
would like to see this campaign
fought out on this one issue princi-
pally, Now it goss without saying
that the present road law is a farce.
To say to the able bodied men from
Is 10 50 years old that they may
pay 81 90 or work on tho roads
eight days, is an appeal to the men
who nave a dollar in cash to give
it to the county roads and at the
same time this law compes the
poor ignorant aud improvidcnt
m&il " ho has not the dollar in cash
to pay four times the road tax
that his more able nelghbor pays.
No, gentlemen, we will never get
good roads by trying to compel the
poor improvident fools in our coun-
ty to build thcm for us when their
simple conditions tell us that they
cannot support their own families,
To illustrate how unjust the pres.
ent law really is, / will not leave
home to do it. The writer Of this
uses from two to three wagons to
thirty or forty III his business, and
under the present law / am not re-
CURED to pay one dime direct road
tax, while my unfortunate neigh
Dor who has a large family to feed
and has not tho dollar, and does
not own either wagon or horse, has
to put in eight days work, which
a! current rates amounts to $4S0
he pays cut in labor on the roads
for my wagons and pleasure vehi-
cles to travel over.
We will never get good roads or
even fairly good roads unless we
pay for them, All this bowling
and spoech-making will not poy
for our good roads. We must have
a direct road tax on our property
as we'll as tax on our able bodied
mon from Is to 80 years old, and
this tax should not be less than
5000 or four days work
H,TT ron Nnt ,.,,Dr,,,f,
Now it is an established fact
that in any county the world over,
the men who own the property are
among the shrewdest citizens, and
whom you touch their purses you
will have to convince them that
this money is to be put to a good
purpose or their influence may up
set the issue; but at the same time
it is true that the property holders
are sensible people, and II wonld
seem reasonable to any intelligent
person to tell them that these pub
he roads wero their own property
and to improve the condition of
these roads would mean to them a
direct saving of dollars and cents.
In order to put this good roads
subject properly before the people,
we want and must have 81 least
three of the very best men in Pick
ems county to enter the present
ca npaign. These men must be of
TIE sort that when they know that
thcE - ,Ssht are not afraid of
tho 49, or the deep. blue sea
We warS men Of the grit, and
who .hsE intelligan "a
npsal