The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-11-28

The HARTFORD TURNPIKE.-Much complaint
is being made against this road and its man
ayers, and it would seem from the following
correspondence, which appeared in the Balti-
more Sun few days ago, that the people do
not propose to put up with the impostions
practsed upon them any longer. The writer
says:
"There has been such general cutlery among
our people living on the line of the Hartford
road against what we conceive to be gross in
justice and public wrong that feel compelled
to give expression to our grievances through
the columns of your paper, 50 that the trouble
may be brought to the knowledge of the proper
authorities and a remedy applied as soon as
possible. The facts of the case are few and
plain, and briefly as follows: The Hartford
turnpike road, from the first toll-gate tc Laven
der Hill, never has been in such bad condition
as it is at present. Above the last named point
the writer can say nothing from personal
knowledge, speaking only of that part of the
road which he has been using every day for the
last twenty years or more, and can safely say
that he has never seen the road in such
wretched state. We are willing to give credit
where credit is due, but mean to speak out
plainly where injustice is done. Last winter
the company shelled the road from the city
boundary to the first toll gate, which is at pres
ent in as good condition could ask, (al-
though without further attention will not re-
main so through the winter j also the hill GO
ing down to Halls Springs was put in fair con-
dition, but the balance of the road has been so
long neglected that it has become reduced to
condition in which it is impossible TO traverse
It without endangerng life and limb, injuring
horses, and breaking almost any wagon, there
by entailing an expense upon us twice the
amount of toll which we have to pay, and that
is not little sum. There always has been
more or less trouble about this road On sew
eral occasions the company has been petitioned
by the people; delegations have called upon
them and even the Legislature has been in
voked to compel the company to comply with
the requirements of its charter by giving us q
good road. and the General Assembly went so
far, in 1862, when a similar trouble arose, as to
pass act setting forth the legal process to be
resorted to in case such an emergency happen
ed again. Yet all these means have failed to
obtain the desired effect, and we are compelled
to pay toll and can be sued if we refuse, while
the company has not been compelled to keep
the road in good order, as it agreed to do. Is
there any justice in such state of affairs? If
so, it has its origin with and belongs exclusive
ly to turnpike companies. We hold it is the
bad road and nothing else that is making
property so unsaleable in that section OF the
county, where, instead of increasing in value
as it does on all other roads leading out of our
city, it is at a standstill. If the company was
poor and unable to do much repairs, and the
road but little used, there might be some ex-
cuse. but such is not the case. The stock pays
good dividend every year, and the road is as
much travelled as any turnpike leading out of
the city, yet it falls far short in comparing
with any of them.
"The principle of law and equity has always
been that whenever corporations become bur-
den upon the people the sooner their charter is
repealed the better. We have good road sys-
TEN in Baltimore county, and our county roads
are being kept in good condition, and we are
satisfied that we would have better road un-
der the supervision of the county authorities
than at present. This is inserted to inform the
stockholders of the road that this outrage will
no longer be endured, and to give them fair
warning that unless the road be improved i'm
medately and Thoroughly resort will be had to
the remedy given by the act of 1862. The
stockholders or anybody else who doubts the
| truth of this statement are asked to take one
ride out on the road and be convinced.
HARTFORD ROAD"