The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-08-03

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big tax payer himself, and his taxes
| and the taxes Of his corporation
! amounted to something. He convinc-
ed Mr. Summer that it was for the
best interests Of the county, and Mr..
Summer had consented to serve on
the commission and to assist in the
movement. He had gone to Mr.. Wright
the president Of the biggest corpora
tion in Newberry county-and there
was no fairer-minded man in the
county-and laid the matter before
him as an old school-mate-asklng
him if he would be willing to help.
After considering the matter for
about Two weeks Mr.. Wright said
that he would
! Prof. Sigh said that Dr.. Cromer
had not yet consented to serve on the
commission. having told him only the
other day that if he served he would
probably have to almost quit the prac-
| tice of law, so much Of his time would
be taken up with the work and in lis
tening to complaints from all over the
county. What was $75 year to l..
F. Wright or Geo. v. Summer or any
body else on the commission. And
then talk about "scheme!' Let s
not lose faith in our fellow-man, said
Prof. Sigh. "Any community-hear
me, young men; YOU old men are set
| in your ways, and you need not hear
that community that loses faith in its
/ fellow-man and in itself and its abil-
ity to do things, is doomed. And any
man who has lost faith in his fellow
men has lost a priceless heritage
which can not be restored. 1t is the
thing that binds man to man. Take
that away and what have We to live
for? As cats and dogs!
eff there is any scheme L am the
schemer. I wrote the bill. Mr.. Aull
helped me. He gave in to me on every
point. and I named the commission. !"
The men were selected, he said, on
account of their business ability and
integrity men who handled many
times S30O,0O0 year-men that the
people Of the county trusted-men
whom the people Of No. 10 trusted in
their everyday business affairs-men
against whose integrity no man dared
say aught.
Prof. Sigh said the bill was good
bill, if he did draw it. A Spartanburg
man had told him the other day that
it was a three-to-one better bill than
Spartanburg's, and the \Spartanburg
people were going to vote a S4OO,ooO
bond issue. He said Mr.. Blease did
not understand the bill; he believed
if Mr.. Blease understood 1t he would
vote for it himself.
Mr.. Blease had not told Of any 9TH
er way to get roads. There was no
other way to get them. Prof. Shgh
said he had in his office every bond
issue in the United States for roads,
and there was not a county in the
United States with good roads in any
thing like adequate quantities which
had not issued bonds to get them, ex-
cept those counties which included big
cities within their borders. One mill
in No. 10 would bring in only S2|4'
and , mills only $548. Nothing could
be done with this amount. No experts
could be employed to lay out the
roads. and it was throwing away nor
ev to work roads unless they were
properly laid out by competent en-
eineer. The trouble was the people OF
the county had been working forty
per cent. grades too long already. vi
course. the roads had to be surveyed
and laid out, and this was work which
it would take competent engineers TO
do: if roads were desired that would
amount to anything.
If any man did not believe IN the
integrity of the commission, he said,
ne ought to vote against the bill, be-
cause no bill in the world could be
framed to keep a man from stealing,
if he wanted to steal.
He took up Mr. Blease'S argument
- IN railroad bonds, explaining that
the railroad bonds were turned over.
net for money. but for the promise OF
railroad. and were turned over and
were to be turned over before the
road was built. The bonds for good
roads would be turned over not
for roads. but for money. which would
90 into the hands Of the commlsslon'
who would expend It for roads. There
was no similarity at all.
III