The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-03-24

Now, Mr.. Foreman and gentlemen,
l am glad that I find here that condi-
tions are in such good shape. This
enforcement of the law is the very
foundation of our life. That is why
we went to war with Germany. We
went to war for no other purpose IN
the world except to enforce the law
Germany said to US, eve are going
to sink any ships that come into this
zone of over a thousand miles" We
said, "It is a public highway and II
sink our ships and kill our people,
you will have US to whip" They wen'
sLead and sank our ships and killed
or people and we went to war. There
are men in my county and in every
county 1 have been in, that make II
dangerous for man to ride on pun-
lie highway. When they get In their
car on the public highway, they think
everybody else must get out of the
way, and people are being killed ev-
ery day in South Carolina by the reck-
less driving of automobiles on the pub
lie highway. The spirit of lawless-
ness and disregard for your life and
the lives of others. That is what
am talking about. We haze got all
The law here that we want. think.
All that we need is men-men that
will enforce the law. 1t is not any
theory that 1 am talking about. What
are you going to do about it? Are
you going to stay off the road because
YOU let these people run rough-shod
ever everybody? What are YOU GO
iae to do about it? You built these
good roads and have a public high
way, and the better roads you get, the
faster they run. Isn't it so? 10
down here on the Concord road and
YOU had better stay mighty safe OIL
one side of the road or get out in the
field. Now, Mr.. Foreman, will you
have the roads so rough that you can
not run fast, or will you get out IN
the fieldo You are going to do Meth
al. If they break the law and you sec
It, don't hesitate to come up and say
so, and if they won't stop, then make
the punishment more severe. do not
know that there is very much differ
ence between a man killing you with
a shot gun and an automobile. l
don't suppose it makes very much dill
ference to you. Some people think
that because they run over you with
an autombile it is an accident. No
accident at all. That is violation
of the law, and if he does it through
carelessncss, that is manslaughter, and
the chain gang is the place for him.
So, now, Mr.. Foreman, if you are go
ing to have good roads in this county
let's make those people be decent, so
that you can go there in safety to
yourself and your family. AS say,
that is not any theory. There is no
use for Us to permit any such cond'-
ton as that to continue. Eternal vlg-
ilance is the price of liberty and it is
the price of good government, so IS
the price of everything else that IS
worth while.
Now, Mr.. Foreman and gentlemen,
spoke Of good roads. That is part
of your work too. You are not going
to interfere with the work of the sup
ervisor, but if there are any condi-
tions that are so bad, you report It
to the court, and if there are such con-
ditions, then the solicitor will hand
out an Indictment against him, Now,
on the subject of good roads / will not
not take up your time to discuss eX-
cept to say this: Everybody knowns
that the value of your property de-
pends upon it's accessibility to mar
ket. The richest land in the world
is no good unless you can get your
products to market. 1 think that is
one reason why there is such a trend
of the population from the country
to the city; because there is such an
unsuitable condition of the roads and
if YOU will examine, Mr.. Foreman, the
last report of the United States Cen
sus, you will find that the city popu-
lation has grown very much faster
than the rural population, and the
reason is that the people in the coun''
try are leaving the cou- ry and going
to town. That is very serious PROB
lem-the trend of the past thirty
wears of The people from the country
to the town, and if that condition con-
tinues thirty years more, what will
become Of our nation. Now, we need
70 agument to know that when you
turn your property over to tenant
your property is going down. Sup
-. ,,,,,. ,r-boIa land becomes I'M