The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-07-19
COMMISSIONER WATSON SPOKE
FOURTH OF GOOD ROAD MEET
INGS HELD AT WEDGEFIELD.
GoOdly Crowd Hears Plea for The
Good Roads Bond Issue.-State
Commissioner Watson Makes Con-
yincing and Interesting Talk
Other Speakers.

AT Wedgefield Friday afternoon
the fourth Of the series Of meetings
held In different parts Of the county
in behalf of the bond election for
good roads took place, a fairly large
and representative audience being
present TO hear the speakers.
| Through the energy of Mr.. Belser,
State Commissioner of Agriculture
and immigration, E. j. Watson, was
present, and said a great deal to con-
vince the citizens Of Wedgefeld and
the surrounding community that by
voting for the bond issue they would
only be voting for the upbuilding of
their best interests
County Commissioner F. E. Thorn
as presided at the meeting and after
stating the purpose Of the meeting in
troduced as the first speaker DIR. S.
G. Baker. OF Sumter.
DR.. Baker stated that while he was
immensely interested In good roads he
haG come to Wedgeheld principally
for the purpose Of extending an in
vitation to Wedgefeld In behalf of
the Sumter Chamber Of Commerce.
Since its reorganization the Chamber
OF Commerce had provided a hall
where any sort Of meeting could be
Z held at any time. and where farmers
or any out-of-town visitors were in
vited to make their headquarters
while In the city. His remarks then
, tended show wherein the town and
country are necessary to each other,
and hence need a complete system OF
good roads intimately connecting each
other.
: Supervisor Pitts was the next
speaker. He said that, before the re-
cent issue Of $4,000 worth of bonds
, for the Improvement of the county's
roads. experiments had been made in
road building by contract. This had
besn done Very successfully. ne stat
per mile. However. where the road
had to be graded, carts and mules
would have TO be used, thereby bring
ing up the cost to about $500 per
mile. He then emphasized Mr.. Bak-
er's remarks as 10 the needs and ad-
avntages of having a complete sys-
tenn of good roads.
i Mr.. Belser took up the greater part
of his speech with his usual careful
explanation of just how the bonds
are to be issued. If the election is
successful. and just how the roads
are 90 be built under supervision of
an engineer, and the method of main
4 tanning them when constructed. All
! Of this ground Mr.. Belser has gone
I over at every meeting held thus far.
I At the close Of his talk he invited any
! who might have questions TO bring
! them up at the end of the meeting.
( Commissioner Watson, who was the
last speaker, at once caught the at
! tention OF his audience by relating a
! funny anecdote. and continued to hold
their close attention to the end of his
interesting talk. He said that 1t had
always seemed exceedingly strange to
him how people will oftentimes fight
against their own interests; that with
out investigation strong men put bar
riers in the way of progress. He stat
ed further that he could not under
stand how, knowing a thing to be
right, a man could even consider a
one mill levy. (this being the extra
levy which the bond issue will re-
quire.) He said that IL was no time
! for us To be considering the matter
OF public highways. when the value
Of good roads had been threshed out
ever since Biblical times. Even in
those times people realized the need
OF good roads for development "All
roads led 10 Rome" for the purpose
of barter and trade, but as we'll for
the social and moral development of
Rome.
lie then took England as an en-
| ample To show how fast the wheels
of progress. had travelled after the
construction Of good public highways.
Coming to our own country, he told
| OF our ancestors hunting, first of all,
for highways into the country for the
purpose OF barter and trade. In our
own state, he said. our forefathers
| had known the need Of good roahs as