The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-12-22
O N FOR GOOD ROADS.

When it comes to the Supreme
Court, we try to be orthodox, and
a decision of that court is, so far as
we are concerned, the law until, as
they say in railroad circles, the
order is superseded, modified or an
nulled. And so it is with the de-
cision of the court with regard to
issuing bonds for road construction.
So far as the law only is concerned,
and the letter of the law, we have
no doubt the decision is on reason
able grounds.
But because a man has a legal
right to do a certain act, it by no
means follows that it is good policy
to do such an act. And the same
is true of a legislative delegation.
They may have a legal right to put
a debt of a million dollars on the
county from which they come, but
we are of the decided opinion that
such debt should not be created with
out the vote of t%wo-thirds or three
fourths of the people. And while
we doubt in no measure the good
faith and the true patriotism of the
men who are behind these bond
issues, we believe that they will
find within five years that a great
mistake has been made. And we
fear that a bad precedent has been
set.
Taxes are hard to pay, and taxes
which do not bring about the re-
suits for which they are assessed are
almost robbery. Now we yield to
no one in the desire to see good
roads in u county, but the ques-
ton of desiring the roads, and being
willing to work for them, and eve
of building them, is quite a different
thing from voting a million dollars
worth of bonds for a single expert
ment in road building.
We say experiment advisedly, be-
cause no system of road building
has yet been devised which guaran-
tees a permanent road, one that
does not require constant attention,
and one that will not wear away
with constant use. This is empha-
sized by an article in this paper pub
lished a week or sc ago, in which
it was stated that the United States
Government had built neal Wash
ington, and was maintaining at it's
expense, a stretch of roadway lead
ing to Chevy Chase, which had been
constructed at different points from
road building materials of different
kinds, in order to test the effective
ness of the different plans and ma
terials for road building. There
fore, while road building is in an
experimental stage, we believe that
it will be worse than hazardous for
a county to bond itself to the limit
for the purpose of building a few
miles of roadway, which may or
may not be successful; which may
or may not endure for the use of
the people for one-third of the peri
cd for which they will be taxed on
the bonds.
1t would seem a great deal more
sensible, at least a great deal more
prudent and cautious, to build a few
miles of the road determined on,
and then test it by five years use,
rather than to rush into an enter
prise which is surrounded with so
much uncertainty.
We would emphasize, too, the
great opportunity this kind of leg
islation offers to a few designing
men. In the legislature, this kind
of legislation is regarded as local,
and a majority of a delegation may
rush it through the legislature, since
representatives and senators from
other counties do not like to inter-
fere in local fights. A majority of
the delegation from any county may
then impose on the people of the
county any debt within constitu-
tional limits, tax the people to pay
It, and place the selling of the bonds,
Che collection and expenditure of
the money in the hands of men of
their own choosing and practically
bankrupt a county. Any such leg
~islation is hazardous in the extreme,
contrary to the spirit of American
institutions and a fertile field for
all kinds of graft and corruption.
And while generally speaking we
are opposed to referendums and
such legislation, we should study a
long while before we would place
a mortgage on the home and farm
of every man in the county for the