The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-17
Wednesday Feb. II, 1915.

"PUBLIC HIGHWAYS, PUB
Lie ROADS, AND PRI-
VATE WAYS"
The above represents the division
of the travelled places in this State,
according to a decision of the Su-
preme Court. A good many Of the
counties in the State, at this session
of the General Assembly have asked
for authority to issue bonds to build
and establish good roads. The build
ing of good roads is still an expert
ment. In populous cities, the prob
lem has been solved by the construc-
ton of paved streets, but in the coun-
try districts, which are too sparsely
settled to bear this expense, the ques-
ton is still an unsolved problem.
We favor the issue of reasonable
amounts of bonds for public pur-
poses, where the purposes are not ex-
perimental, but have been proved to
be of lasting benefit. But, we would
advise our neighbors in the other
counties to 60 slow in the matter Of
bonds for good roads. Instead of is
suing a million of dollars in bonds,
we would prefer to issue fifty thou
sand dollars, and construct a few
miles of road as an experiment, and
wait five years on the result. A debt
of million dollars, or of half this
amount, on posterity, with no last
ing results will be ten-fold worse
than the railroad bonds issued in Re-
publican days for railroads which
were never built. Abbeville county
should therefore profit by the expe-
rience of our neighbors and await the
results of their experiments before
rushing into this bonding business.
In the meantime, we have some
suggestions to make as to good roads
in this county. We believe that we
can build good roads without bond
issue. It will cost some money, but
it can be done. Public highways a.
defined by the Supreme Court are
those roads which connect towns or
which connect two other public road>
and there should be but one between
two towns or public roads. Thest
should be easily located in Abbeville
county. On these roads alone should
the Supervisor work the convicts.
These roads serve the general public
and should be worked by the con.
victs, and supported by general tax
on the property Of the county, such
as the one mill tax which we now
levy. If the cUnvicts be kept on
these roads at all seasons of the year,
and if the roads be widened to thirty
feet and have sand and clay thor.
oughly mixed as the roads are built,
in a year or two these roads will be
in good shape. By dividing forces,
these roads could be easily scraped,
dragged, Or oiled, in day or two;
and we would escape the conditions
with which we have been confronted
during the last few weeks.
Public roads are those roads which
lead from some community to pub
lie road. The county should have
nothing to do with such roads, but
the public of that community should
take charge of these roads. The road
law should require five days work or
five dollars communication tax, and
the money from each township
should be returned to that township,
and be expended by committee, or
board, from that township, in keep
ing up the community roads, such as
are public (used in common by all in
the community. In addition to this
tax, there should be a license on all
vehicles TO be likewise distributed.
Each wagon and each buggy should
pay annually license of one dollar i
and each automobile should pay into
the county a license of one per cent
on the original cost of the vehicle.
The license from wagons and buggies
should 60 to the community, or town.
ship, where the owner resides, and
the automobile tax should be ex-
pended on the public high,0ays.
There will be objection to this, of
course, but we must not expect bene-
fits without paying the price. 1t will
seem unjust to some to pay vehicle
tax, but it is not. Mr.. James F.
Clinkscales, of the Monterey section
of the county, pays his one mill road
tax ON some four thousand acres of
land, amounting to a considerable
sum, and we dare say that he hasn't
a tenant on his lands, who does not
own a vehicle, and travel the roads
more than Mr.. Clinkscales, and yet
he pays practically nothing under
the one mill tax levy. Why should