State Centralization in the South
| Author | Paul W. Wager |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271624020700119 |
| Published date | 01 January 1940 |
| Date | 01 January 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
144
State
Centralization
in
the
South
By
PAUL
W.
WAGER
GOVERNMENT
in
the
South
has
never
been
intensely
local.
Un-
like
the
compact
settlements
of
New
England
out
of
which
there
developed
the
town
as
the
dominant
unit
of
gov-
ernment,
scattered
settlement
and
the
plantation
system
in
the
South
led
to
the
pre-eminence
of
the
county.
Except
for
the
feeble
and
transitory
existence
of
the
parish
in
Virginia
and
the
Caro-
linas,
there
was,
prior
to
the
Civil
War,
no
government
closer
to
the
people
than
that
which
was
quartered
at
the
county
seat.
In
South
Carolina,
not
even
county
government
got
firmly
estab-
lished.
There
were no
townships
in
the
South
until
they
were
forced
upon
North
and
South
Carolina
by
the
&dquo;carpetbaggers&dquo;
in
1868.
In
neither
state
did
they
sur-
vive
as
active
governmental
units
after
the
end
of
Northern
domination.
The
rural
South
thus
never
became
adapted
to
a
unit
of
government
smaller
than
the
county,
though
the
counties
are
smaller
on
the
average
than
they
are
in
the
North.
Since
the
county
is
only
one
step
from
the
state,
Southerners
view
any
en-
croachment
upon
the
county
by
the
state
with
about
the
same
degree
of
concern
or
indifference
as
the
people
of
New
York
or
Michigan
view
en-
croachment
upon
the
township
by
the
county.
Local
government
is
thus
some-
what
of
a
sectional
concept.
With
pres-
ent
means
of
transportation,
both
North-
ern
townships
and
the
smallest
of
the
Southern
counties
are
physically
obso-
lete.
But
a
local
unit
of
government
has
psychological
as
well
as
areal
dimen-
sions.
It
survives
because
it
is
rooted
in
the
mores
of
the
people.
Could
the
boundaries
of
political
units
be
expanded
as
readily
as
the
sphere
of
social
and
economic
activities,
local
government
might
preserve
its
vigor
and
usefulness;
but
when
traditional
boundaries
are
held
rigid,
preventing
local
units
from
becom-
ing
effective
service
areas,
these
units
will
seek
financial
and
administrative
assistance
from
higher
levels
of
govern-
ment.
It
is
this
vertical
expansion
that
is
designated
&dquo;centralization.&dquo;
If
it
has
proceeded
further
in
the
South
than
in
other
parts
of
the
Nation,
it
is
probably
because
there
are
fewer
layers
of
gov-
ernment
to
penetrate.
ROAD
ADMINISTRATION
North
Carolina
startled
the
Nation
when
in
1931
its
General
Assembly
passed
an
act
transferring
45,000
miles
of
county,
township,
and
other
local
roads
to
the
state
for
maintenance.
By
this
bold
step
more
than
150
county
and
district
road
organizations
were
abol-
ished,
the
road-building
machinery
of
the
local
units
was
transferred
to
the
state
with
compensation,
and
the
burden
of
reconstructing
and
maintaining
all
roads
outside
of
incorporated
cities
and
towns
was
shifted
from
property
owners
to
automobile
users.
At
the
same
time
that
the
state
as-
sumed
control
of
the
roads,
it
also
took
over
the
prisoners
from
the
county
jails
and
road
camps.
The
original
transfer
involved
3,713
men,
but
the
average
number
in
the
state
camps
is
now
about
6,000.
Some
of
the
camps
were
those
formerly
used
by
counties,
but
in
most
instances
the
state
built
new
ones.
There
are
at
present
about
ninety,
well
scattered
over
the
state.
These
camps
are
a
vast
improvement
over
the
typical
county
jail.
The
prisoners
are
no
longer
in
idleness,
but
are
engaged
in
healthful,
outdoor
work.
It
is
pick-and-shovel
work,
but
not
too
arduous.
The
food
is
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