The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-11-01

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Transportation and Good Roads.
Mr.. Editor:
There is no question OF more I'M
portance today than the question OF
Transportation by dirt roaes. and 1t Is
safe to say that there is no question
receiving as little proporttonate at
tention. We all think Of 1t in a pas
siye way, but the passive way of con-
siderinE important matters is what
keeps an individual poor, and it Is
what is keeping the vast majority
poorer than they should be today. IT
there is one question tha.t should be
more paramount in the minds OF the
South Carolinian than the prices OF
cotton it is the price Of hauling that
cotton to market, and hauling the fer
ti,izer from the market with which to
make the cotton. A mule and horse
has no way to speak his mind, but
Balaam's case was mild one COM
pared to a poor underfed mule strain
ing through a sand bed SIX inches
deep with bale Of cotton weighing
never less than 500 pounds, and If they
don't protest it is not because they
live any longer or get any fatter suf-
fering for our stupid neglect Of pub
lie highways.
We all sit down and talk Of what
splendid roads they have in the North,
and in Europe, and there is no reason
at all for our having roads that are
disgrace to civilization. We have a
good country to live in, and it has
been demonstrated that making a
passable clay road out Of an almost
impossible sand bed is only a matter
Of a few feet digging, but the sand
beds are still there except where our
most efficient supervisor has been
able to clay them with the very linn
tied labor at his command Our pres
ent force Of road workers is not act
ually sufficient to keep what clay
reads we already have in good re-
pair let alone make new ones, With
the result that some of the clay roads
are nearly as bad in point Of uneven
ness as the sand is as regards heavy
pulling. A mule that may ruin himself
trying to pull single bale of cotton
over some of our roads could almost
trot with two bales over we'll con-
structed clay road, and get to town in
half the time, and live longer and eat
less, and die happier.
There may be nothing particularly
interesting in the happy death Of
mule, but whether he lives or dies
may be a matter Of a hundred or SO
dollars to the owner, and that is very
pathetic indeed.
Z We are not so densely ignorant that
we can only understand and negotiate
what money we can see and hold in
our hands, but up to this time we
have most certainly allowed our pub
lie highways to cast strong refec-
ton on our intelligence. 1t is money
to US, look at it any way you wish,
and the longer we put it off the more
money we are losing. 1t takes siren
uous matter to work revolution in
the minds of public, and we should
have some strenuous work, and not
lose any time about it. We have
mass meetings to consider questions
Of far less importance than this ques-
ton, and some Of our most influential
men should get together and call
mass meeting to consider the question
Of floating some good roads bonds for
the county. We have so long taken
these roads of ours as an accepted
misfortune that it will take almost
a revolution Of feeling to convince our
citizens that the roads are as we will
have them, and not as the rain and
traffic make them. Let as awake.
T. B. J.
Sumter, S. c., Oct. 7, 1905.
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