Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-01-19
For the Montgomery County Sentinel

tie of political matters, l am glad to see
that desire for the internal improve
nent of our county by the Metropolitan
Railroad is still felt and advocated by
all who feel an interest i'll our permanent
prosperity. In every country where the
progress of improvement exists, strong
desire to bring within the reach of all
the facilities that will develop the inter-
nal resources of tho community is man.
fest; thus, we see that in afteF ages the
canal of Langucdoc and the Simploon
road remains as great a monument ia
those Emperors who projected them as
the great military events for which then
reign was so conspicuous. That the
Capital of the United States will be a
centre from which viii radiate a system
of railroads over the country, every in
telligent man will agree; that it has not
been done earlier is the only wonder.
The following depression will illustrate
the difference in the facilities of travel
between the pastand present time. Every
one who has ever read the letter Of the
wife of the elder President Adams from
Washington to her friends, will smile at
her narrative of the journey to the Fed
eral city, particularly that part that speaks
of missing the road between Baltimore
and Washington, and being finally ex-
treated from the forest by the accidental
meeting of servant, and the terrible
mud roads that then had to be encoun-
tered by land journey.
The last annual report of the Metro
politan Railroad company has so clearly
shown the practicability, Importance, ne
cessity, and general advantages of the
road, that even comment, to those who
have read it, would be superhuous.
But two ways at present exist for the
transportation of the produce of the in
terror of our county, by wagons to the
District. The Brookcville and Wash
ington, and the Rockville and George
town turnpikes; the former remarkable
for its beautiful grade, rejecting the
highest credit on its projectors the latter
presenting, part of the way, abrupt
grades and anything else but a good
location 1t is probably no exageration
in saying that ten times as many bushels
of grain was grown in the county the
past year as was grown ten years ago,
and consequently ten times the former
amount to haul to market. The diff
Guilty of conveying by wagons, over
almost impossible roads, in winter, to
reach these turnpikes, uncertainty of
weather, time and expense, all strikingly
point to SEINE other mode of transpor-
tation.
The citizens of our county, in con-
junction with the citizens of the District,
had originated the railroad, and fondly
anticipated its early completion to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, distance
of about forty miles and nationally con-
cluded that reason and Justice would
permit any community to complete a
system of Improvements within their own
borders at their own expense: but, as i'll
all important matters, local interests and
selfish feelings are brought in antagonist
ical array, to prevent whatever is most
beneficial so, hitherto, have the best ef-
forts of the Company been thwarted by
Insignificant means.
The 18th section of the charter, as it
now stands, compels the completion of
the road to Hagcrstown, in Washington
county, before any profits can be derived
by the stockholders Now, as the most
strenuous efforts of the citizens of the
District, in conjunction with our own,
cannot complete the road further than
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. is it
reasonable or just to force us to compile
ton of the whole? Does not sense of
propricty call upon the present Legisla-
ture Immediately to repeal that part of
the charter that binds us to the compile
ton of that part lying beyond the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad? 1t is to this
end that the true friends of the road are
now uniting in their petitions for repeal
of that most Objectionable clause of the
charter, and cannot but hope so reason
able petition will be granted by the
Legislature.
That the citizens Of the District and
our own cannot monopolize the benefits
of the road is self-evident; the wealthy
counties of Frederick and Washington
can complete their part and thus form
continuous route mutually beneficial to
the whole.
There is also another fact connected
With the matter hitherto not well under
stood, and shows that mutual and ben
cticial cooperation may oe realized be-
tween the Metropolitan and Baltimore