Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-03-09

lars more were appropriated and Gp-
preparations were continued to be made
at irregular periods until 1884, when by
act OF Congress the road was surrender
Ell to the States respectively through
which it passed. All of the several
acts of Congress appropriating money
for making this road contained this
provision, i'll substance that the said
sum of money should be paid out of the
fund reserved for laying out and max
ing roads to, and through the State of
Ohio, by virtue of the seventh section
of the enabling act by which Ohio was
admitted into the Union in 1902. Thus
we lind that this road was built bv
money which Ohio had stipulated in
1902 should be expended in building
roads to and through the State. The
first action taken by the General AS
sembly of the State of Ohio Except one
to punish for treSpasses) was to enact a
law, amended a dozen times afterWaru,
on Feb, 4th, 1881. For the prcserva-
tiCn and repair of the United States
Road, to take effect when the consent
OF Congress was given to it. The con-
sent OF Congress was given by an act,
approved March ID, 1881. The fifteen
th section of this act reads as follows :
That it shall be lawful for the General
Assembly, at any future session there
of, lcithOut the consent Of Congress, to
change, alter or amend this act; provid-
Ell the same shall not be changed, alt
cred or amended, as to reduce or in
crease the rates OF toll hereby establish
ed, below or above sum necessary to
defray the expenses incipent to the
preservation and repair of said road, to
the erection of gates and toll houses
thereon, and for the payment of the
fees or salaries of the superintendent,
the collectors of tolls, and such other
agents as may be necessarily employed
in the preservation and repair of the
same according to the true intent and
meaning of this act" Another pro-
viso is that any person may pay at one
gate for any distance, certificate being
given therefor. These provisos are the
only obligations known to the writer,
which the State has assumed to or for
the United States. Suppose them to be
in full force and effect. what then ?
Only this: That the State shall so fix
the rates of toll that the amount collect
ed will pay the expenses and keep the
road in repair. But this law was en-
acted before the United States ceded
the road to the State. Now, what are
the terms of the cession? Here they are:
The fourth section of an act of Con-
gresS, "tOr the continuation and repair
of the Cumberland Road" making an
appropriation of two hundred thousand
} dollars for the completion of the same,
approved, June 9th, 1884, is In these
words: Aa1d be it FURTHER enacted,
that as soon as the sum by this act APP
prOprlated, or SO much thereof as may
be necessary, shall be expended in the
: repair of said road, agreeably to the
provisions OF this act, the same shall be
; surrendered to the State respectively,
through which said road passes; and
; the United States shall not thereafter
be subject to any expense for repairing
: said road. Here is "a naked surrender.
) 1t is clothed with no proviso, stipula-
ton or condition, unless it be that the
I, United States shall not be subject to
= any expense for repairing said road
Whose road is it? The government has
: surrendered, abandoned it to the State.
, The State has never recognized it as a
child of its own. Instead of providing
, for 1t, giving the necessary means to
keep up its respectability and useful
: ness, it has rather manifested dispo.
: sitiOn to rob it, to despoil it of its own
earnings. 80 far as | know its history,
/ under the care Of the State, no appro-
priatiOn has been made for rebuilding
} bridges Or repairing the road. The Au-
| ditor OF State tells me he knows OF
none. | have not had the time to run
: this point down through the books,
but assuming this fact to be true, that
it h as been, is, and will still be the pol
: icy ut the State to do nothing for this
road but OappOint the officers to man
: age, or mismanage it, collect its tolls
and expend the money where they
) please, without the remotest prospects
of ever getting any appropriation for
, its repair, whaG should be done ?
, Should the road remain in the hands
Of those who care nothing for it,
| except to feast on its earnings or
should it go to those who have direct,
, personal and pecuniary interest and
: pride 10 the preservation of this grand
! old thoroughiare. The st. ClairSville
Convention memOrialiZed the Legisla-
ture, asking that the road be remitted
) to the counties, urging among other
things, that AS it has become local
lO1u IL SuOulu uC CDutIUllSu ny tll0 To-
cal authorities. ''Of the seventeen
thousand dollars of tolls collected,
: nearly five thousand are in Belmont
r County" Why should not this sum
= be expended where, by the use of the
road, the money is earned Why have
it expended in distant cities in paying
insurance on bridges in addition to
building them, where the Belmont
, people have no interest? Everything
else being equal, the road is worn the
most where the most money is collect
ed, and why not eXpend the money
there: But do not wish to argue the
, case, if there is any additional legisla-
be- shed upon this subject, the Light to
ture wants tit wants facts.
In conclusion, permit me to say that
the only possible obligation the State
is under, by the law, in regard to this
: road is to see that the proper tolls are
collected and the money expended ia
keeping it in repair. The State at diff
ferent times has enjOined this duty on
various classes of agents, the board OF
public works, leSsees, as from 1854 to
1851, and in earlier days other agents.
Now II proposition is pending, to say
the most OF it, to make the commits
siDners-Of the several counties through
which the roid passes, the agents to
see that this is done. l have no pet
theory or plan in regard to this road.
|, with others, have labOred to get the
State to take some fostering interest in
the road, but in vain. It does not pass
through enough counties. My only
aim in this matter is to forward the
material interests of Belmont county,
and be guided by its intellisen wishes
Of its people.
| Your Obedient Servant,
SAMUEL KNOX.
IEOBHESEOWN.