New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20

HISTORY OF THE TURNPTKES WHOSE
GATES THE PEOPLE ARE DESTROYING

Lexington correspondence of The Chicago Record.
~" cause or the turnpike in Kentucky has
dro nesh given to the Public. The raiders have
Marion, Mercer. franklin Woodford and Jessamine
d dountiss ard they now threaten go in broad
rh !'sht ana tear down the gates in Lewis County.
Inc iact that public sentiment largely sustains the
y a,ueIs IN thsr work Of destruction has been add
VIZ commented upon all the country.
nr me IL Is true that the warfare the turnpikes
s,fS Oh the mature Of Anarchy the raiders
uiiion OF hentucky's highway system.
Lew spur, supervisor OF roads for Fayetts
v ounty VINO has made study of Kentucky's high
which ,of the last twenty years. furnishes facts
nave BEEN manipulated By a set OF SPECTATORS 10
ereos Of the roads themselves and the
and who pay State taxes ''"''' '''' '"'"'
EARLY TURNPIKE BUILDING.
In 1884 the year after many sections Of the s,a,s
mad been VISITED by an epidemic OF cholera there
x a universal demand for internal Improvements
A. me railroad then in It's infancy the
70 nonSn s or the public spirited Kenuckians turned
hurab.c; was present and Of easy access and IL was
o . mat a system Of highways could be con.
s which would rapidly develop the States
ma At that time Lexington the principal city Of
h ns was done here although the raw material
svsy S oe ar drawn by wagon from Lmestone-now
mct OF me factories sought arkets in the same
State to take about sxenths Of the stock in urn
pn. coinl anes but the companies had secure Q
maintain perfect highway. and which fixed tho
rate Of tolls to be charged and otherwise reeiateI
,, AS Maysve was the most important point TO reach
no u,i lexington the first turnpike company incor-
nson Xayse d-a R Of tns TH19 tr9m m ls
pcrmenal road the cost OF construction was very
large me total for the sxtyeght mile. being nearly
great success and for a few years after its COM
pleiion business was stimulated to such an extent
max tne second great tnorougnfare was projected
the Lexington and richmond Turnpike Il was
moSnt ma this would cost more to the mile than
he rCr that ronfA
lay across the Kentucky River y hch runs in a
road was built a OF only s SO mile for the
twenty-six miles OF road
WEB OF ROADwAYs GROWS.
Iave Ellie were fe!red across the river for many
what Was then cas erry yo the S' ss
OF General Cass.us Marcellus Clay's famous old
was even more popular than was the Maysvilie pike
IRON ore coal and lumber were shipped by boat down
ny wagon over the pike 10 Lexington All the coal
pk neya s ioI near yars over mi,
Throughout Madison and adjoining counties
ternal Improvements were 50 dated over the success
OF these TWO pixies that they built ono from I.exng-
owing 10 the favorable lay OF tho country through
which il passed its cost was only 5000 a mile Like
next to bs Sn @ lexington Schds
ye Da Dams and Lancasier inrnp'ks Comprising
the Lcxine on. Harrisburg and Perryyiiie road Of
road The Lexington. Versailles and Frank
ror, thirty miles THIS did nor cosi over T co.
ngton road lo0 miles in length was constructed att
total cost OF $4,000
HOW PIXIES DOOMED LEXINGTON
I, was these splendid highways which made Lex
They well constructed the engineering being
Of the highest TYPE ihs roads'ds s vide and ne
tured goods were hauled from the Lexington fac
and to cincinnati The wagons would bring back
coal iron ore. lumber sugar ana molasses ana
Nearly all persons paid toll I'm those days
eitnor well-to-do landowners or prosperous busi-
received her dividends promptly from the turnpikes
and Kentucky's highway system was pronounced
Since the war great n many turnpike compan,e.
neighborhood roads and not great State thorough.
fares Ike those constructed between the years 1894
eres Under the iaW that were accorded n" original
,urnp;e companies. and the building Of new turn.
that n rev law was passed about fifteen years ago
TspSans ne oq o eafh so
in urnpkes within It's borders at the rate OF $500
put mt" it on the COUNTIES which desired better roads,
s T S To MOTs MoG %
quently burden counties to the limit by assisting
private companies to build turnpikes.
OILY $4,000 TO THE STATE
The original stockholders in the turnpikes built
before tho war are nearly All dead and the stock
owned by them has faller into the hands OF specu-
lators or investors who wish TO make as much as
possible out Of the roads. They have kept them in
no better Tegn than IN 5 o
period of or hfeen years they paid practically
Treasury but the State Auditor five six years
ago discovered this big leak and since then the
roads have paid in dividends $4,000 year. no more
and no less. This fact is considered peculiar. a:
bc exactly the same year after year
small Al, May ah,Gt at seventeen Years ago by Levi
Spur; of Faysite COUNTY. who saw in he system
injustice to the general taxpayers. In an interview
while | am unequivocally opposed to the de-
sruction Of tollgates and the intimidation Of gate
not much to blame people in other States
would naturally infer. We will take Fayette
turnpikes in this county. OF this rs miles free
having been bought by the Board OF Mags;rates
ths eE s passed in 1870 Only one OF The
thirteen pixies leading into Lexington is free This
ty-probably third OF the rural populationfree
access TO Lexington while the other taxpayers In
Keep up the free turnpikes as their eastern neigh.
bors. and yet have to pay heavy tolls every time
they come TO town
TROUBLE IN BUYING SOME ROADS
We have had a great deal OF trouble in buying
the pixies which We have secured. as the owners In
some instances put the price very high We have
some OF the companies have sold for a great deal
less; one company. which was not making much
We think that We will be able have the turn
pixies in Fayette County free within the next three
miles within the county limits In irst-class re-
pair.
There IL a strong feeling among the rural popu-
lation OF every county against ,o roads. and Ae
outbreaks liable to occur against them at any
time There about $50 miles OF turnpikes in
the State and. owing 10 the old laws which made
he State a part OF them they have cost the tax
payers 8.o,0.eo In principal and interest dar-
ing the last foriy-two years. At the same time
these taxpayers have been paying heavy tolls to
travel over the roads which have cost them so
much money. As Mr.. Spur said. II is no wonder
the rural taxpayers have rebelled against this sys-
TEN: the wonder Is that they have not done so long
before. Mr. Spur thinks. however that the stock
holders realizing that the taxpayers VIII submit no
longer will sell their stock 10 the several counties.
so that within a few years every mile OF KEN
a..al.. io,lil a. x.il L.