Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-03-22
THE GREAT ROAD QUESTION.
IAN Observer" Makes Some Observa-
tions that Are Very Pertinent.

undoubtedly she falls short OF hav-
Ing, as 3 rule, any worthy Of the
name. SO l trust The Courier will
allow space for this article bearing
on the subject.
How many Of our county people
saw the article in last weeks Farm
and Factory commenting on the
plaintiye complaint Of a citizen from
the lower part of the county who was
%arraigning the mountain section of
the county generally for getting a
LITTLE work on Its roads this win
ter? Isn't it a great pity that the
county road men, elected only a
short while back, should have be-
trayed the people by putting the lit
tie bunch Of conyicts on those always
neglected mountain roads? Yes,
they have had and are having the
main road worked that gives hun
dreds Of Georgia and North Carolina
people an outlet to market their pro-
duce and buy their supplies all over
the county, to say nothing Of the
county residents who live in the
mountain section. The Stumpnouse
Mountain road Is having the first
real working that 1t has had in the
knowledge of the writer since the
road was changed to it's pres
ent grade. l would like to know If
we have any fair-minded citizens in
the county who feel sore on that
score.
However, here is an important
point. for all to consider. If the
county Is In q shape that. no sort Of
emergencies can be met with the
scanty regular road funds until after
the 18th Of May, when everybody
will be busy in crops, and there will
be but little chance to get road
hands until late In the summer, who
Is to blame for that state Of affairs?
l believe that all realize hat neither
the County Supervisor nor Commits
sioners can be blamed for that.
The county convicts and county
road outfit cannot go all over the
county roads in a month, or even in
several months, and surely the
mountain section Is due some atten-
ton from them as often as once
every two years.
Now, depressing to the proposed
change in Jul local county laws.
VIII 1t do? Here's one that thinks
no.. Our county Senator, in speak
ing of the matter. said in one of his
articles that 1T ought to be a good
solution, as u public schools are
managed successfully on a similar
plan. That reasoning does not ap-
peal to me, for does any one, any
where, know Of a case where three
district trustees could get around
local differences and prejudice and
govern a school on a fair, broad
minded basis? 1t seems hat our
schools could he more successfully
conducted, for the greatest good to
the greatest number, by a central
county board, or, better still, by a
State board with a county represen-
tative. In that way the bias Of local
prejudice could be better combatted.
So with the road SYSTEM; central
county management Is too narrow
Instead of coming from Tho county
down to the township, wo3liIsit not
be far better to try to- go upward to
State control of such utilities AZ pub"
lie rOads--Or e. On better, II D0usi~
BILE, to national control?
Now consider especially the two or
three upper mountain townships. Can
they, in view Of the mileage of i'm
portant public roads. Of the unim-
proved property and low property
valuation, Inc the weak numerical
strength Of the population, be justly
considered under obligation to vote
an extra special tax for the roads L?
Those people are as public-minded as
any In the county, and fully as anx-
ious to have good roads; but sup
pose they did levy the additional
special tax to the full limit allowed
by the law. Even that would not and
could not add sufficient to the road
fund for those townships to give the
needed attention to even the main
thoroughfare roads. Suppose one
township votes the levy on and has
sufficient to keep roads good, and the
adjoining township does not, and
would have a totally inadequate fund
even If it did, Is that township so
limited by natural restrictions as to be
abandoned and left for Its roads to
continue to retrograde? Won't the
reasoning that a chain Is no stronger
than its weakest link be applicable
here, reading instead that the coun-
tvs roads are no better than the
poorest within It's borders?
The attitude Of The Keowee Cou-
rier's editorial following the an
nouncement Of the appropriation Of
an equal general road fund to each
township irrespective Of the amount
of taxes collected from the township,
was a little surprising, to say the
least. How else was it possible for
some of the county townships, weak
In the features heretofore mentioned,
to be enabled to improve the dis
tressing road conditions?
Ask n business man in Seneca,
Westminster or Walhalla If those
roads running through the upper Dor
ton of the county and on into Geor-
gia and North Carolina do not give
them a highly desirable patronage to
their material profit. Go into Geor-
gia and North Carolina and ask num-
erous people who formerly came into
Oconee county to buy supplies and
market produce why they come no
more. They will answer: '"The