The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-07-11
An Ounce of Prevention.

But if there were n o ~.r. and n 10 unusual circumstances surrounding US
at .i. time, our advice t. the people of AbbeHle county would be that
they 90 slow and that they be sure they ae obtnining full value therefor
before burdenins themselves with . great bonded indebtedness, which it
will take twenty years t o p.y, and then only by greatly increasing tho tax
We would like so lot permanent roads connecting every town in tho
county with the county seat and with every other town. Sueha thing, how
ever, il. o. of the question at this time, that is, with roads recognized to
be permanent. 1t would take millions of dollars 10 build them in Able.
Vile county. We would like to see permanent roads leading from the city
of Abbevile in every direction for a distance of a few miles, if W Q could
have them only for . few miles. 1t would be . great dpwins card for tho
good merchants of the city of Abbevile and greatly build up their bu'ines'
even though at the expense of the smaller towns. The people of tho city
would greatly enjoy such roads, but" it would hardly be fair to the people
in other part. of the county to build them solely at the expense of the eoun-
t. Permanent roads of the kind to which we refer would cost according
to u information, from twenty to thirty thousand dollars per mhe' and
therefore, as stated, it is ut of the question to think IF building DAD OF
this kind.
Being unable TO do this, W. are asked to vote bonds to build dirt roads and
we m told that dirt roads will not wash away. This is in u judgment a
mere dream. Until it is fully demonstrated no man should believe the
statement. The hills have been washed down into the valleys and carried
ut to sea for these many years and it is in the nature of dirt, whether
sand or clay, to wash away. The Act under which these bonds are proposed
to be issued recognizes that the roads n lot permanent because it pro-
vides an annual tax of six thousand dollars for the purpose of keeping these
roads in repair, and that from the start. The trainers Of the bill reeos-
nize that the roads will begin to deteriorate in value from the day they are
built, and they only propose to keep them in good shape by ievyins this ex
ira "a !.
And when it is contended that these road. will not wash away, n eyed
hat hey LAY be maintains at a moderate expense, W e ask if it is not the
part of wisdom to refuse to take any mans word for it, however honest the
man may be, when W "a wait four or FIVE years and ascertain beyond a
doubt, the facts. Greenville county has built a number Of miles OF dirt
roads and other counties ae to follow. We are told that the roads look
good when they ae finished. They may stand for years. We do ct say
thew will not, but we do lot believe that they will. However that nay be-
we do say that the people of Abbevile county, after these six thousand
vearso of the worlds history, had far better wait Ave years more before
going into this questionable undertaking, than to rush intoi it o without
nron.r confederation OF even in the nesr future. Mathusaleh lived in this
world for something more than nine hundred years, according to u in
formation, and he managed to exist without his county YER issuing road
bond. .o far a. we hay been informed, and a few Of he people here VIC
m getting old now and who are afraid to wait OF the question OF the bono
Issue, should contemplate his long life and undertake to content themselves
with their present surroundings rather than rush the nex generation,
crinnl.d :, It il. going to BE-, towards a financial precipie. Someone has
said that "Fools rush in where Angels fear tt tread" or words to that
general effect, and W e have IN idea that the election in th county next
month is going to take the ea.ure of a lot of people. Can We 10 afford
to be five OF six years slow after the people of this county have lived here
a hundred years or mor without a bond issue, rather than make a great
mistake?
We appeal t. every thoughtful nan in Abbevile county to answer for
himself the o~ue.hon.-WOULD 1T NOT BE A FOOLISH THING FOR
THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTY TO RUSH INTO A DEBT OF THREE
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ON UNCERTAINTIES, WHEN BY
WAITING A FEW YEARS, WE CAN KNOW WHETHER THE ROADS
CONTEMPLATED ARE GOOD INVESTMENTS? Let every man take
that oue.hon home with him and think about it. Let him talk to his neigh.