Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-02-18
Wednesday, February ls.
Good Roads Law For South
Carolina.

eral assembly aiiu iiotii '
LEGISLATION in the house, | learned
early in the present session that II
we are to have any considerable road
building inSouth Carolinait will have
to be done by each county devlslng
its own ways and means. There Is
now under discussion in the house
bill looking to the construction OF Ger
, tain main trunk lines of public roads
leading from county-seat to county
seat over the State, but this will not
meet the needs of a vast majority OF
the counties not Edge
field.
Our greatest need in Edgefeld is
the improvement of the public roads
leading from the several markets OF
the county back into the rural dis
tricts over which farmers haul their
fertilizers in the spring and over
which they haul their farm produce
to market. It is well to have certain
trunk lines or main thoroughfares
improved but we should not stop
there, as is contemplated by the coun
ty-seat to county-seat project.
Having reached the deliberate
conclusion that if Edgefeld county
and the great masses of our people,
are ever to get out of the mud, we
must not look beyond the borders OF
the county for relief, but must work
out our own salvation, | at once set
about to devise workable plan for
such an undertaking. drew the SUBJ
joined bill and, after submitting it to
Senator Sheppard and MIR. Walker
for their approval introduced 1t III the
House in the name of the Edgefeld
delegation. Before it passed the Sec
ond reading, the time when bills are
usually amended, submitted a print
ed copy to Attorney General Wolfe
for him to point out the flaws and de-
fects, if any existed. He returned
the bill to me with his unqualified ap-
proval.
The Highway Commission, which
the act creates for the purpose Of
selling bonds and expending the mon-.
ey in road construction and improve
ment, will be composed of one person
from each township, thus guarantee
ing to every section of the county
The just and impartial consideration
to which it is entitled.
Some may ask why limit the bond
issue to S30O,OOO? Under the provi-
sions of the Constitution, the maxi
mum amount of bonds which the
county can issue Is per cent. Of the
taxable property of the county, is
about 100000, and experience has
proven that it is unwise to issue the
limit at first. Two years ago McCor-
mick issued good roads bonds to the
amount of s175,o 900 and they are
now planning by an act Of legisla-
ture to make second Issue of $780,
900. A member of the Mccormick
delegation told me today that expe-
rience has proven the wisdom of the
two issues instead of one for the
maximum amount.
] fixed the time for holding The
election or the same day as the pri-
mary election so as to insure full.
expression from our people. An elec-
tion held in the busy spring season
would probably result in a compara-
lively small ballot. Then, too, were
the bonds voted earlier, the summer
: would not be a desirable time to
place them on the market.
The preliminary work of the COM
mission as provided in the act, will
all be done before the election, max
ing it possible, if the bonds are vo-
ted, for work on our roads to begin
Immediately after the primary cleo
tion. After the commission shall have
completed this preliminary work the
people can vote intelligently upon
the question Of issuing bonds, as they
will know what roads the money Will
be expended unon.
The following is the text OF the
bill:
To provide for Highway Commits
sion for Edgefeld County, Defin-
.rg its Duties, and to Provide for
fine Holding cf an Election for the
Issuing of Five, Per Cent. Coupon
onds for Public Road Construc-
in Edgefeld County, and te