Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-01-16

II seems that during General Jackson's
administration Congress passed an act to
build a turnpike road from Washington
city to Frederick, Md, some forty to fifty
miles, as the natural and national conclu-
sion of the national road executed between
Cumberland, Md, and Wheeling, at the sole
expense of the government, at cost ST.
700, 600
While the National road was being made
the rich city of Baltimore and the more fer
tile parts of Maryland toward Frederick,
Hagerstown and Martinsburg built toll
turnpike, drawing off nearly the whole trade
Of the National road and charging such ex
cessive tolls that roads like the Moth western
Virginia turnpike were subsequently built.
"Gath," in one Of his letters, has extract
ed these passages from the diary of John
Quincy Adams;
December 1825.-"Mr. Bailey spoke to
me of several resolutions which he has Of
fered in Congress on the subject Of roads
aud canals, and an amendment of the con-
stitution. told him that the discussion of
his resolutions might be useful, but must
in candor say that my opinions did not con-
cur with them. | thought the power Of
making roads and canals given by the con-
stitutiOn and that an amendment asking the
grant of that which was already granted
was equally impracticable and useless. ="
Adams also enters the following in June,
$780, '"The President (Jackson) approved
only one of the four bills Of internal i'm.
provement lately passed. The apprOpria-
ton for the road from Washington city to
Frederick he returned 10 the Senate with
his objections, and the subsequent vote was
22 for and 16 against it. He defeated the
appropriation for the extension Of the Cum
berland road"
Jefferson, however, in 1903 proposed to
Congress u carry the Cumberland road to
st. Louis, and the great military road from
Nashville to New Orleans was superin-
tended by Gen. jackson himself while under
construction.
Sixty years have elapsed since the veto of
the bill for a pike road between Washing.
ton city and Frederick city, a distance of
hardly fifty miles. No road To this day
leads from Washington TO the region Of
turnpkes of which Frederick is center
Into that place come roads traversible all
the year from Baltimore, Gettysburg, Antie.
tam, Hagerstown-half a dozen pixies at
east-and one road leads 10 Urbana, within
! forty miles OF Washington.
What might not the intervening region
have become by sixty years employment Of
one good pike road, which would have cost
but $4,000?
And il looks as far off as ever that the
local means and spirit OF intermediate Mary
land will achieve such a road, while during
the civil war millions Of public property
were engulfed in the sticky clay district be-
tween Washington and Frederick, where
| one good road would have saved canons,
horses, wagons and supplies and the fright
ful marches Of the Army of the Poto mac TO
Antietam and Gettysburg.
! To execute this work would be a fitting
conclusion Of the period which has seen the
-.
now everything at this capital but carriage
4 communication with some adjacent road
blessed country. A good road toward the
mountains would beget good inns and ia
spring and winter throw the outer world
open 10 our conveyances- Wash. Star.