Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-25
THE PROBLEM OF TRANSPOR-
TATION

was her grand system OF military rOaus.
When they fell into decay the empire
itself had long since fallen. Grand
highways were the connecting and
strengthening links between the cities
of the Hanseatic League, extending
from Norway to Belgium and from
Great Britain to the heart of Russia,
which, from the thirteenth to the fif-
teenth century, controlled the COM
merce of Northern Europe on sea and
land. Probably nothing contributed so
much to create a national power and
national life in France as the constitute
tian and maintenance of national sys-
tenn of roads and canals, radiating from
Paris, commenced during the reign of
Louis XIV and continued by his sue
cessors under the supervision of skilled
engineers and superintendent es-
pecially trained for the purpose. The
plan was improved and extended by
Napoleon, and as a result France today
has the most complete system of public
highways i'm the world. In England,
owing to the law compelling each
parish to maintain its own roads by
statute labor, the highways were ex-
ecrable until the latter part of the last
century, when the first turnpikes were
constructed. But they were poorly
built and shiftlessly managed until Tel
ford and Macadam introduced scien-
tific principles into their construction
and maintenance. The first great Eng
fish canal was opened in 1860 and from
that tine until the beginning of the
present century there was great ac-
tivity in canal building, but with little
or no government aid or interference
A century ago there was no system of
transportation in the United States.
The natural water courses were the
only highways of commerce. The
wretched wagon roads We're built by
local authorities for local purposes.
There was no system. 1t took a week
to go from Boston TO New York by
stage and three weeks to reach Charles
ton. 1t cost five dollars per barrel to
haul flour one hundred and fifty miles,
and salt, which sold for one cent a
pound at the sea shore, cost six cents a
pound three hundred miles inland.
Until there was some attempt made to
accommodate through traffic by the
construction of turnpikes and canals
every community was forced to live
within itself and upon itself The first
turnpike road in America was built in
1870, the system reaching its highest
development in New York, though in
1922 Pennsylvania had paid out nearly
100000 in turnpike subsidies, or
about one-third of the total cost of the
roads built. When Albert Gallatin
was secretary of the treasurer in 1908 he
began the agitation of the subject OF
national aid to roads, advising that
funds for their construction be raised
by levying a moderate duty on inn
ported goods, arguing that the
cheapened transportation would lessen
the price of goods more than the tariff
would raise it. Ten years later, Cal
houn, as secretary of war, took up the
matter on grounds of military expedi.
ency. Jackson opposed the various
propositions for political reasons and
the only important result of all the agi.
tation was the Cumberland road, OF
" National Pike" from Washington tc
the Mississippi river, upon which the
sum Of S4,SOO,0OO was expended by the
government up TO 1887.
The construction of this great high
way and the completion of the Erie
canal, opened for through traffic in
1895, gave a wonderful stimulus to set
Element and development. Wherever
the canal met a natural water course
cities grew up with astonishing rapid
ity. More than all other agencies and
advantages combined, it made Buffalo,
Syracuse and Rochester. 1t reduced
transportation charges to little over one.
tenth their former figures. Branches
were built In rapid succession. The
receipts from tolls were enormous.
Profits were immense. Notwishstand-
ing great reductions in the rates of toll
the revenues continued TO increase I'M
til the New York Central railroad in
augurated a contest for supremacy in
in which the railroad won. Canal
stocks declined. Public interest and
private capital were enlisted in railroad
construction. July 4, 1923, three years
after the completion of the Erie canal,
the first rail on the first railroad built