Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-09-22

ASeut Densunclng Tarapikes.

AAslt Dessunclns Tarnpikcs.
Ne publish elsewhere q long commu.
ooeion upon the subject Of freeing turn.
- roads. Our correspondent might,
Z ~ think, have said what he had to say
= - anuch briefer and more forcible way.
h . Print his communication just a. he
~ It TO rs, With view Of calling the
rution Of those who desire to speak
y lhoir fellow citizsns through our col.
e ~, to certain very common mistakes
GioA No must ask them to try to avoid.
And 6rst, We want them to be Is brief
|zGo possible, for the sake both Of their
6no and OF our readers. We desire
$$&0e columns TO be interesting, and
81 oholr contents to be varied We spare
- oach topic only 10 much space as is
1ooooary. We cannot spare more to our
ogxeepondents. To obtain q hearing in
3 - columns they must put their ideas
1870 the fewest possible words and this
S. - strength Of their argument requires.
ES y = common mistake to suppose that
- accumulation of words Is an sccumu-
Mon Of strength. It Is very well for the
h #1oump orator to be verbose, but verbosity
WM not endure the cold frame of type.
And next we must ask our correspond.
s GsfD to write in good temper and avoid
VIA denunciation and vulgar abuse.
xhis also they need to do, not less for our
g1oders' than for their arguments sake
~ nothing is less persuasive than epithet
n u moro convincing than calm and good
tompsred speech.
Our turnpike correspondent does not
GAH In these particulars more than the
average correspondent, and we simply
onke him to illustrate our text and be.
i eanse We are In sympathy with the caus,
i ~ advocAtes. We desire to have our turn.
10 roads made free and are confident
1hat there is great present need that they
4 nnAll be 90 made. But we do not see the
oonse In abusing turnpike roads and
tuxppike owners because We believe
1|hat the time has come to buy their prop.
III oesy from them.
No one who Is not altogether foolish will
undertake TO deny that the turnpike
roAds Of Lsncast er have been great
h1s1sing In the past ; and that they are
- now, 90 far as the roads go = only now
they need to be freed Of toll. They are all
lnacadamized roads and they are generally
- very good order; and they do not pay
&! n enormous profit to their owners, as
ouc correspondent says they do. We re.
' mt that he did not better inform him
Dslf, before he undertook to handle his
subject for the information and edflca
tion Of our readers. But this again
y o very common correspondent 8
1hult in fact the EDITORS table would be
comparatively empty of correspondence
g those who write would first make sure
that they knew whereof they would speak
Some Of the turnpike roads abpr,}hs
elty have been very profitable: X Notably th,
- that That leea1w 1wa soes DC. ..aislphia but
yoUdy elsel Isgthat it is part Of tn,
/ "a tHHhSSdelphia and Lancaster turnpike
uhch was divided into sections and
- sold q few years ago. About
81 tWsnty miles at this end was pur
chased for small sum by few wild
awake people, and it is now worth sewers
times what they paid for 1t. Other road
axe not worth their cost. But whateve
they are worth, that Is what the publ
must pay for them IL 1t wants them.
cannot take them by force or stealth, Il
this enlightened country and no one no
. natural thief will want to do anythin
Of the kind.
Since then 1t Is clear that the macada
mized roads that the turnpike companie
81. sive US are good thing in themselves
md since 1t Ii equally clear that
~ We want them we must ray fai
value for them, where is the sens
n abusing the roads, their owreI
and managers Should We not Iathe
- grateful that they have establishe
y these good roads and done US this bene6
md given us an opportunity to have fre
macadsmized roads into our towns T
b sure we should.
Tho only debatable question is as {
whether we should buy them. Thos
who want to do 30 should incline {
pgaife the turnpike road for its value
the community. 1t is not the road the
want to get rid of but the tolls. Why thel
~ 0uuIc6S buouSCASCo W bu0 QuC> tiOu
and show that the tolls should be tai o
~ the roads by purchase, the only pos
sible way. Why is 1t that people car
not argue against the thing that hurt
them without slashing out after every
thing In its nsighborhood. II turnpik
roads are not kept in order, that is goo
cause of complaint SO also II the tol
ars too high, and 1t can be SO show
Aouses in railroads and turnpike roat
may exist, but they give no reason fl
Announcing the roads, which are In theu
selves very good.
The Fever Panic.
The spread OF the fever in the Sout
II y not half 80 remarkable as the spread
the panic, for while 1t is NJ
surprising that people should wal
70 get out OF the way OF Il
pestilence the haste with which who
communities arise end fly on the mo
~ - IA "a