Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-12-28
The EurnpiLs Nuisance.


the way Of .UproyemeRt in many important
particular, ut ia the one great need Of i'm
proved COM euication with the adjacent cOun-
try very lite aas been done. We have hopes
that az some me- in the future the MetropOIi-
tan rairOst .Id the Baltimore and Potomac
railroad nav 10 finished and put in operation;
but were TIE completed and running to-day.
We should sr,' ind the great desider3tum unat-
tanned. We ~4ut to make Washington a place
where people an live Cheaply. The city has
been injurei ~ a prevalent belief through the
country thai Washington is a dear place to live
IN. This l. Dot true, when our prices are com
pared with those Of other large cities; but stiU
we want 10 make it notably untrue, and espe-
cislly do We leed 70 have provisions cheap
enough To irtIce the establishment of manu-
features here " various sorts.
Now. TO Chespen agricultural produce it l.
requisite tia - shO.id have good roads leading
IN every dircc-0n into the country, so that the
farmers an -arceners can bring their products
here quickly s1i in good condition and not
have then SPOILED by jOlting over rough
roads, and csvha? with loss to the whole
venture through breakdown on the way
our roads l-ad.rg TO the country are VIGOROUSLY
the worst IN sss Union. and the singular fact is
presented t.af these exceptionally bad roads
are ttsT7,ytlc E5sds, go cslled,) on which high
4
days ago rs grievances at the hands Of these
turnpike hikEvaymeD, stated that in a recent
trip TO this he had to unload no less tn an four
times. and -.ay his cargo by iustalments over
some Of the sd places on the " turnpike" and
tor all Of which he was heavily toled. These
turnpike CONF suies have Equstted themselves
on the princiUsl highways 70 the country in true
sOg-in-the- UsnEer style, aud will neither i'm
prove the Tos'is themselves nor allow others to
do So. The Levy Court has shown that excel
lent free rossis can be made. and maintained, at
no great expense, and would cheerfully under
take 20 put an the main roads leading from the
city in frst-ciass condition. a. free roads. had
they the jurisdiction. Congress, too, has shown
disposition 70 come 70 the relief OF the people
here, and some time ago passed law TO aid in
dispcSsessing the turnpike companies of the
charters they have notoTiOusly violated: but m
70 this time, through the delays Of the law. the
companies have mara-ed to maintain their
clutches upon thCse abused franchises.
We propose now TO let a little daylight in
spon the operations OF these turnpike compa-
nies, and allow the people 10 see upon what
miserable preteSt5 thsy have been bIed for
years in the way CT heavy tolls collected without
q shadow OF legal right. by reference to the
acts incorporating the turnpike companies on
this side OF the river il will be found that the
Bladensburg road vas incorporated by Congres,
by An act passed April ., 1910. I'D Stat. az
Large. p.5
The Seventh Street road was a Maryland cor
osrstion under an act OF the Maryland Assem-
oily passed February Sd, 1918, recognized and
authorized by the act OF Congress OF February
Is. 1919, I'D stat al Large, p. 4s2)
The Sd section of the act of February Is, 1872
subjects TIL. Seventh street road corporation
10 all the duties imposed by the act 81 April
f~,fr, Tr,-,r r.
The requirements of the act Of April 18th,
1910, are, then, the requirements of the charters
of both the roads. They are, briefly, (see %
Stat at Large, p 49, that they "shsIl cause
N least "a feet in breadth, throughout the whole
length thereof, to be made an artificial road of
stone, gravel, or other hard substance, Of sufi-
cient depth or thickness to secure solid and
hrm road, with q surface A. smooth as the mate
rials will admit and nearly level that il shall
IN no case rise or fail more than angle of
four degrees with a horizontal line, and the
said road shall thereafter be kept in good and
perfect repair; and wheresoeEer upon the said
road any bridge shall be deemed necessary, the
.ame shall be built OF sound and suitable mate
rails"
And the proviso is added, that whenever
the net proceeds of tolls collected on said road.
shall amount To a sum sufficient u reimburse
the capital which shall be expended in the pur-
chase of such land and making such roads and
Y per cent. interest per snnum thereon, to be
sscertained by the Circuit Court of the United
States in and for the District of Columbia. the
saEae shall become free roads. and tolls shah no
longer be collected thereon; and said company
shall annually make returns TO said Circuit
Court of the amount OF tolls collected, and OF
their necessary expenses 20 to enable said
Circuit Court TO determine when said tolls shall
cease"
Now 1t is susceptible OF proof that both com
Paries have grossly violated every one of the
above requirements ss to the character OF the
roads, except perhaps that g. to the grades
which, however, they shave very closely; Ard
further. that for a considerable period OF years
neither company made the annual returns 70
the court-snd that the Biadens6urg company
still does not-of the tolls collected and amour,
expended in repairs. Theirs Is the additional
fact that The Blsdensburg road has become SUBJ
stantially pocket corporation, consis sting il Il
believed, Of one person II TIL. individual b "A
any one associated WITH aim IN the owrership
of this pocket corporate, the fact Is not known.
And he leases his road Tor 81 600 q year to the
toll-gate man, who keeps all the tolls he can
get. and naturally has no interes. in keeping thu
road in condition; bis sole end being 70 skin the
public, and make a. much out OF his leass m
possible.
This 10 the wsy these turnpike franchises.
affecting TIE interests OF the whole community.
are managed for the benefit Of two or three In.
sividuals- It Is because OF these execrable
roads thue maintained - pocket corporations
that the country about Washington Is 90 sparse
y settled, and that citizens seeking rurs, no me.
20 twenty and thirty miles out on the railroad.
70 Laurel, Annapolis Jdnct;on, &C., instead of
settling within . dozen miles Of Washington for
the benefit of our home trade. IL Is BY reason
sf these vile "turnpikes- that our markets are
% badly supplied when the weather IL q little
shisvoraole, for then the roads, always bad.
become simply impossible. We might 70 on a,
any length enGmsrating the counts in
inc inoietnens against these "turnpiksv com
psn'es Tor the ininries received by the civ a,
'nen ns.os, but IL is not necessary. IL ~ a
story with which are all fsmili,r Rnt No.
win the ne. order Of things i,.ugursted IN
INC Disfc'-t.e extensive Improvement. In
street psvemens, building Operations n.x
market houses, canal cleaning q. a. a,