Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-07-07
A A GOOD ROADS ( PLEA. Il !.
The Duty of the Press in This
Important Movement. &
GREAT QUESTION OF THE HOUR
An Able Paper By @. Il. Warner
Esq, Editor of the Lexington Dis
patch, Read Eefore the North
Carolina Press Association at
Their Recent Convention Held at
HendersonVille.

aeuueISOuFlue. Is
Building good roads is the great
question of the hour in North Caro-
lima. In the familiar phrase, it is the
paramount issue, not only in this
State, but throughout the Union. 1t
transcends in Importance politics, the;
tariff, the money question or any 9th
er question: Nothing is hampering5
this country SO much as mud; Moth
ing could possibly do more for the
development of the Stale and nation;
than macadamized highways. Hence
the duty Of the press in this State,
especially, to begin Statewide cam
paign for the promotion of better,
roads. It is our manifest duty to cry
aloud to advocate strongly, to publish
information, to mold public opinion
until the people reach that point
where they are willing to bear the:
cost of building modern roads in.
every county. i
1t is idle for me to attempt enum-
Grafton Of the benefits good roads con-
fer on people. Every man, no mat
ter how unlettered, instinctiyely
knows that good road is far
better thing to have than bad road.
We naturally have it in US to know
the value of, and to construct an easy
pathway, but, unfortunately, the
devil Of tax steps in and tempts us
to bear the ills we have, rather than
fly to blessings we know Of and great
ly desire. Our people all believe In
good roads, but there are some who
are unwilling to pay the cost. [ have
heard good men and good farmers de-
clare that masmuch as the mud trails
we now have were used by their faith
ers, they are good enough for US and
it were useless to suggest change In
them. Others declare tina. we are too
poor to attempt road construction,
and still others are Vehement in
their opposition to the idea of hand
ing down to succeeding generations
such lothsome thing as a public
debt. These are some Of the objec-
tions one hears.
Factor in Civilization.
believe in my soul that bad
road is the greatest curse that can be
laid on community. It stunts the
industrial, moral and intellectual life
of a people. But good road is equal
ly as great Glessinss for once q
community gets facilities for trans
portaticn and communication, all 9th
er blessings will be added thereunto:
Mr. Roosevelt has well said that the
difference between semi arbarism
and civilization is the difference be-
tween good and poor means Of COM
munication. Far back in history good
road building was recognized as a
leading factor in advancing civiliza-
tion. We are told that early explor-
ers in Peru found improved highways,
one Of the military roads being q
900 miles in length, with tunnels
through mountains, bridges or ferries
over streams, road 20 feet wide,
made of fagstones covered with btu
men. Ancient Mexico built good
roads, as did India and Persia. In
the latter country the monarch built
a smooth, hard highway alongside OF
the common earth road, and none
could travel it save his royal high
ness. The Roman roads are still the
marvel of modern world and are
still used. Nothing contributed more
to Rone's prosperity and proNess
than these imperial highways,
straight as an eagles flight, reach
ing to all parts of the, world-empire.
Cool roads mean progress and
prosperity and are a benefit to the
people who live in cities, and an adj
vantage to people who live in the
country. Like good streets, they
make habitation along them desir-
able. You never, or rarely ever and
then not for long, see shabby home
by the side Of modern road, where
everybody passes and sees how you
live. They make people straighten
up and put their best foot forward.
The value of farms is enhanced.
Statistics prove that in nearly every
case the States having the highest
percentage of improved roads are a
powerful, factor in encouraging the
settlement of unused lands. Roads
also have far-reaching influence in
hoidin, men to their farms, and re-
strainiag them from drifting to the
towns. While the manufacturing
towns must have labor, who is here
4 that will deny that if our counties
had good roads, the hundreds Of good
farmers would not have moved their
families from the country home to
town to work in the mills7 So great
an exodus. occurred two or three years
ago that farm labor was almost Inn
possible to secure. These people are
needed in the country; there they
would have stayed had there been
good roads, which make farm life
SO much more attractive. AS the
price Of lands depends as much on ac-
,essibility to market as on prOduc-