Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-01-06

meeting our friends, Hon. ]. VIM
Thurmond and Hon. ]. G. Sheppard
will go over the proposed amend
ment, and add all legal technical
ties, and hammer it out into legisla-.
tive shape.
In the foregoing proposed amend
ment, one of the first things that may
catch your attention is, that the Of
flee and administration of our high
way system has been rescued from
the quagmire of routine politics..
| and elevated to that higher atmos-.
phere, where the Office seeks the man.
And further: Our public high
ways and bridges will be in charge
of trained and experienced build.
er. This is strictly day of special
lists. We can hardly conceive that
one of our good and worthy farmers
could convert himself from an exa
pert tiller of the soil to that of an
expert road and bridge builders
such efforts result in failure every
where. You will notice further that
the operations of the proposed law
is local, dealing with the matter of
taxes and road building infthe coun-
ty, township by township; to make
it general for the whole county would
be too ponderous atfthe beginning
and the whole strucfyte would col
lapse of its own weight. And no.
tice again; that the means of raising
the special road funds is founded on
what is regarded as the principales of
universal justice, which means that
the agents of damage or destruc--
tion should be held to some extent
responsible for the damage; there
fore we, should tax the vehicles for,
the benefit of the roads.
Another is, that well built and
beautiful highways always create.
and enhance valuation of the real
estate all along their route, and jus
tice in this case would demand that
the created should respond to the
we'll bein of the agent of creation,
therefore, we should tax the real
estate for the benefit of the roads.
You will notice further that each
township will receive the full bene-.
fit of the special tax in building i'm.
proved highways, and none of the
special fund will be thrown into the:
mud-holes of the dreadful old roads.
We are all aware of, and keenly
feel the financial pressure, caused in
part by the European war, and in
part by the tremendous drop in the
price of our cotton. We are in part,
responsible for the latter, because
we made too much of good thing.
But, we owe profound gratitude to,
President Wilson and his official
family for keeping US out of interna-.
tional complications, for it is surely
more healthy for Us to face five and
six cents cotton than powder and.
balls. The object now is to get the:
proposed amendment and change Of
law through the legislature at this.
session, that the legal machinery will
be ready by 1917. By that time.
normal conditions will be restored,
and we can take hold of the work of
building some good roads, and bring
our old county out into the lime
light of progress and prosperity.
Think of what actuated the mind
of the poet, who wrote the words.
"Never, no never, say fail" Let's.
get together and make move,
time is flying, and we have none to
spare in this matter. Life is too
short not to live while we live.
Now listen to this please: Just.
as soon as you read this, drop
Hon. B. E. Nicholson a letter or
postal, asking him to call a mass
meeting at the court house not
later than January the goth (this
month";. This will give him some
grounds to act upon, see? Don't fail
to do this. And again; never let it for
once enter into your heads that we
are not going to do somethin to i'm
prove these old roads, and our con-
dition in the rural districts, for we
are. And when the day comes to.
meet and indorse change in our
road system by suitable resolutions,
don't hang back and fail to come,
under the assumption, oh, there'll be
a plenty without me. No such
thing. Just lay aside your little du-
ties for one day, and bulge out.
through the mud. We can wade or