The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-03-18

allleling the Southern Railway and
the Piedmont and Northern, so as to
connect Columbia and Greenville by
the shortest route, that will be the
business of the Highway Commission,
and Abbeville may pay on. Will the
road not be a part of the state sys-
tenn? Then why should Abbeville
worry? Why should we have county
lines in democratic government
anywayy The builders of the repub-
lie knew little when they conceived
the idea that the people had a right
to local self government, and the
right to manage their own affairs.
The State has lately advised us
that it is not welded to the county
seat to county-seat idea in the con-
struction of roads. In a former arti-
Gle it had spoken of the great advan-
tages that would come to Abbeville
from the building of fifty miles of
roads in this county, connecting US
with Mccormick Ia county seat)
Greenwood Ia county seat), apd An
derson "a county seat). 1t had also
told US how we might by means of
these roads be in a few hours, in
Columbia Ia county. seat) or in
Greenville "a county seat) and even
in Augusta, "a county seat in an
other State). Quite naturally, we
take-it, we assumed that The State
favored the county-seat to county
seat plan. Our readers may say
whether we arrived at logical con-
clusion.
The State has also said that it did
not favor the building of these roads
for the operation of pleasure cars,
and nothing induced it to favor the
building of the roads except to add
to the transportation facilities of the
country, and thus to add to the dew
elopment already begun by the build
ing of railroads. When it was point
ed out that the building Of the coun-
ty-seat to county-seat roads would
add nothing to the transportation fa-
cilities Of the country for the reason
that the larger towns were now con-
nected in almost. all instances by
railroads, The State said that it was
not In favor of paralleling anysofthe
railroads, but favored building the
roads elsewhere. !. -. Z.
We imagined then that The State
was in favor Of building these roads
for the purpose Of affording the pro-
ducers of the country better means
of hauling their products to the near
est railroad station, and therefore
better means Of getting to a market.
We quite naturally supposed if all
the people Of Abbeville coupty were
to be called on to pay taxes to build
these roads, The. State, would insist
that the roads should be constructed
so as to give these people the bene-
fits of the construction, and that the
county authorities would know bet
ter than anyone else just where to
build the roads in order to serve the
public in the most acceptable man
ner., But it seems we are mistaken.
The Highway Commission in Colum-
bia is the only authority which knows
what roads we should. build and who
in Abbeville County should be served
by these roads. !
The Brushy Creek people Of An
derson County do not worry us. II
they reside ~ fyithh!pn thp flys mile miles Of
Greenville, they should, if: they ex-
pect ,Gresuyjlle County to take care
Of tx them SRhRh9 n hthe9 8RaRa AasoadJUR4
t thsii 'txHat tsfiiatoiss %aivorctaa a4S@n AHesx4
son County and made a part OF
Greenville County. The last Consti-
tutional Convention had them in
mind and prepared the, way for them
to get relief from the position in
which The State intimates they find
themselves. If they prefer to stay
in Anderson County, and escape the
taxes of Greenville County, they
should. not expect Greenville County