Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-31

| past two decades had been used in en-
ploying competent engineers to lay off
Strengthened and prepare plans and
specifications for the roads Of York
county. Our sister county of Chester
saw the necessity Of employing coun-
ty engineer three years ago and now
on the road leading from Chester to
Rossville, where l as a boy saw mules
stall many a time, you can now trot
the entire way both going and coming
from town. 1 had no idea such a road
could be laid off in that country. Where
we formerly crossed three streams and
could not cross them at all when the
creeks were up, only one stream Is now
crossed on a high bridge and it mat
ters not how much it rains, you can
}q5noIA IsauISus IIAIo v 'ssoIo s6BMIB
this miracle in road building. And yet
some people in York county seem to
think we do not need a civil engineer.
That his salary is an extravagant ex-
penditure of money. Any man with
an ounce of grey matter in his head
who will stop and reason a little will
know that unless an engineer is en-
ployed to straighten, lay off and pre-
pare profiles for the public roads, we
can never do any intelligent road build
ing. On every spot on this globe to-
day, where intelligent road building Is
going on competent engineers are en-
ployed at good salaries. Road build
Ing without an engineer Is a farce.
York county should have employed an
engineer years ago. What little road
building has been done on the Char
lotte road, or in any other section OF
the county, was all mapped out by
competent engineers.
But it is said that the engineers pegs
will all be rotten before the chaingang
can get around and it is nonsense for
him 10 lay off and mark out all the
roads. l think by little calculation
1t will be no trouble to prove that 1t
will take the chaingang about six thou
sand years to get over the roads OF
York county. But under the Saye law
the chaingang may be abolished alto
gether II 1t is found 1t does not pay and
II it Is used 1t Is to be used In perrna-
nent road work on the real highways,
the trunk lines Of the county. Under
the Saye law, every public road Is to
be worked under contractors, who may
contract to repair a mile or as many
miles as they see fit. There will be
hundreds of contractors all working at
once and 1t is an absolute necessity for
the engineer to lay off and straighten
and prepare plans and specifications so
that these roads may be ready for the
contractors next summer when the
crops are laid by The poorest and
smallest white farmer in the county
can take a contract to repair at least
one mile of road. And every cent COL
lected for road purposes under the Saye
law will go right back into the pockets
of the people In midsummer, right at
a time when they need a little ready
cash. Any poor man who has no cash
to pay his Communication tax can either
take a contract and get the money ad-
vanced under his contract, or, he can
arrange with the contractor to pay his
Communication tax for him and work IT
out. The contractor will be his neigh
bora man he knows and in whom he
has confidence. This communication tax
Is not collectible until late in the
spring, and. any poor white man can
take out a contract to repair mile OF
road and soon have the county in debt
to him.
But it is said there are no exemptions
under the Saye law and every one from
IS to SIS years must pay this tax. Well,
l want to say that after an experience
of fifteen years under the old plan, l
have never seen a good overseer who
was satisfied with the exemptions. II
a negro got his finger cut, he wanted
to be excused from road duty. The
many and useless exemptions was one
of the abuses Of the old plan. If there
are any genuine cases where exemp-
tions are really necessary the law does
not go into effect until next year and
the general assembly does not meet
until January, and the law can be
amended practically before 1t goes into
operation. The eighteen year limit was
intended for the brother in black and
eighteen years has been the road age in
York county for years and years. The
communication tax under the old law Is
three dollars. Seven days work of ten
hours each or three dollars commuta-
ton tax was required of every 1S year
old boy under the old plan. The Saye
law is in no respect different from the
old law as to the amount Of commu-
tation tax and the minimum age for
road working. Exemptions from jury
duty and exemptions from road duty
have played havoc in this state, and 1t
Is about time to call halt.
Under the Saye law, after the roads
have been laid off by the engineer and
worked under the plans and specifca-
tions prepared by him, both the COM
mutation tax and the land tax can be
reduced to a nominai sum. IN the end
it is down right econGmy to adopt the
Save system, for under the old plan
more and more money is being spent
every year and no results accomplished.
Under the Saye system, every cot
ton mill, every railroad, every corpora
ton, every town and city and village
will contribute a large proportion of
the money to be used in building up
the country roads. Lands will advance
in price With good roads in sight, the
white people Of this county will soon
begin to leave the towns and go back
to their farms and one Of the great
evils of the day will be corrected. Men
do not mind giving money in taxes or
otherwise, If they are receiving value.
Let them once see the great and last
ing benefits they are receiving for their
1cad tax and they will never begrudge
it, The Saye law is not peculiar to
York county. Several counties in the
state have adopted the same law. In
less than five years, every county in
the state will adopt a similar law.
Twenty-Five hundred years ago the
imperial masters of the Eternal City