The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-25
Motorists to Organize.

The South Carolina State Automo-
bile Association, affiliated with the
american Automobile Association, al
ready has rs branches in the cities
and Towns sof the State and ten others
ire in process OF organization. Ine
officers are Ia B. Carter, GreenVllle'
president s James D. Hammett Ander-
son, first vice president; John A Law,
Spartanburg second vice president;
O., p. Nils, Greenvihe' treasurer an,
w. Cofield, Greenville, general
.1aanager An effort has been startea
to organize "a branch in Columbia
which we take for granted will sue
ceed. For Columbia longer to re-
main cut of an association OF THIS
character; would be for it to step out
cf the procession Of advance.
In the early days of the automoplle
a club vas lorganized in Columbia.
tut It did not long survive, for the
reason t.sats it was local The mo.
tos:st,ss interest is in a terr1to az
H;a asShe range of his. car and that
IS to say thaEzT 8 extends
4; I1sgays penetrate IN the United
Stat tes. The South Carolina motorist
is especially interested IN the hlsn-
wavs Of his State AMI ~ him county
I Sae, have little meaning or signih-
.hnce.
An automobile association Is PEI
lrarily good roads association
though It has power to bring nunef-
Gus other benefits to the owner OF
the ,,owei driven vehicle as we'll as TO
the whole public The time has ar
rived when every man and every
family, whether or not they own cars
arc interested directly and intimately
in this means Of transportation. 1es'
as q public conveyance Of travel, the
automobile is in its infancy in this
part of the world. Little foresight IS
required to see the day when the
people OF every neighborhood without
railroad facilities will have pubic au-
tonobiles to travel i'll at low COST.
provided only that they rave hard ana
smooth roads the year round.
On account of inferior roads the
annual automobile wasiage in Soutn
Carolina totals an enormous sum III
,norey. The casual visitor to any
Northern locality wiere the ROADS
are good will have this fact brought
home to him by the sight of eight or
ten machines of the pattern OF lS1!
or 1912 to one that he sees III use IN
South Carolina.
Columbia is the center Of the high
ways of this Sttae. Thai is why Co
lumbia is here, where the falls OF tha
rivers stop and the plains tilat COM
nose the lower triangle Of our terri
tory begin. Consequently it is mani
fest that more than any other COM
.rurity Columbia has stake in CO
ordinated system Of first rate highways
linking every county and communlty
of South Carolina.
1t is not necessary to enter into de-
tail describing the objects oe the State
Automobile Association and of the
value that a branch Of it would mean
- Columbia. I: sut!ices to say that
Columbia can scarc"l.. less afford TO
DO without an automobIc club in these
times than it could afford to nave
railroads focusing here without offices
70 give information as to their trat-
tic and to protect the public in their
use.
Years ago The Stat> urged the or
ganization of motorists, but without
success. Now the crGa nization has
beer effected It is firmly established
&c towns and cities are members o:
it and the names of its officers guar
antee it's responsible and economical
direction. Columbia. We repeat. can
no, afford to be out o: i. Indeed, Co
Iuulbia can not affort, rot to have ::
trong and influential place in it
state, Sept. 10.