Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-04-06


means Of the county chain-gang and
a road equipment that has been put
into absolutely first class condition,
but which Is practically useless III
the hands Of the few convicts.
| 1t does seem that we ought to be
able to devise some means of getting
something done on our roads this
year. There are few who will go SO
far as to assert that they do not need
| 1t. We believe that Mr.. Shoclley will
| welcome any suggestion that will in
| the least tend to relieve the situa-
| ton. We know he will, because he
| is disappointed that he cannot make
| an effort to do that which he assured
the voters Of the county that he
would do If given an opportunity.
We may think that electing man
! to the Office Of Supervisor is giving
him an opportunity to make good,
but 1t is not. We have got to do
something more than that--and the
something more that has to be done
is to give him something to work
| with-money to pay the bills with.
And this reminds us Of the unsav-
ory condition Of things that exists
with regard to the county highway
project to the North Carolina State
! line above Russells. If we are not
badly mistaken the County Highway
Commission is doing a very foolish
| thing in abandoning the fourteen
mile section between Wlahalla and
Russell's that would connect our
| county with the State and National
highway project further on. We are
| to have great highway from the
Anderson county line through Seneca
! and on to Walhalla. Fourteen or tif-
| teen miles further on we have an
! other good road--the other end of
| this highway to the great hill coun-
try. But the lI-mile gap between?
What about that? The County High
way Commission has, we are told,
set the matter aside temporarily, in
definitely. And thereby we have the
prospect of good highway into the
Land Of the Sky being practically
annulled, because of a fourteen
gap Of bad. or at the very best, indif-
ferent road. To permit such a condi-
| ton to exist for long would be a
shame, aud we cannot but believe
that our commissioners will see it
III this light before it Is too late.
We are told that the reason this
section has been abandoned is that
the estimates Of the engineers as to
It's cost shows the work to be out Of
the question. Maybe so. But MANY
a project has been abandoned b.
cause IT was at first considered too
costly only to find that the aban-
donment was infinitely moro costly
in the long run.
May we not by hearty co-operation
Of the Highway Commission with the
supervisor bring about compro-
mise measure whereby this road that
should be built can be built and at
an early date? The Supervisor has
OH hand his woodworking equip-
ment. but no funds with which to
make this equipment effective. The
Highway Commission has at it's COM
mand funds that ought to be spent,
nut which the Commissioners are
holding back because the work for
which it was, in part at least, in
tended, seems too expensive.
| Here, gentlemen Of the Highway
| Commission. is way out Of a bad
plight, we believe. Our County Su-
| pervisor is practically out Of a Job.
ie wants to work. jim Shockley is
going to do something or he is going
to explode. It's his nature, and we
| may thank our stars that it is. Let's
give him job that some Of us may
think is too big for him. Let's get
together and the County Highway
commission put the County Supcr-
visor to work on this "missing link"
that would connect the low-country
| with the hill country. Mr.. Shockley
VIII DO this work as we'll as any
other man in the country-and he
viii not be contractor on the lob
| who has to legitimatcly make his
profits. He will one OF the county's
servants working for body Of the
county's servants, at stipulated
salary. He will be entitled to draw
that salary just as much when we
have tied his hands and made 1t i'm
possible for him to earn his salary
as he would be while engaged in the
great work Of completing the miss